Vestige
by Aldapan
Summary: Exploring a world divided by war, a vicious dictatorship, and mythical creatures that are at odds with humans, Kaoru and an amnesiac Kenshin are natural enemies that are brought together by the strings of fate. However, as Kaoru begins to understand more about his origins and why he was brought back to Earth, she finds herself debating to protect him or her people. Slow burn.
1. Chapter 1

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter I:

Patrollers

"May your journey overflow with blessings and misfortunes."

* * *

"It looks like it's going to storm, doesn't it?" A young woman's voice broke through the comfortable silence of the dinky kitchen with the flickering light-bulb that refused to die, casting oddly shaped shadows and light throughout the enclosed space. The voice's owner turned to her dining companion and gave him a pointed gaze as her bright blue eyes narrowed dangerously at the mere thought of being ignored in the interest of seeing what she was tasked with preparing for breakfast.

"It always looks like it's going to storm, Missy," Her dining companion answered as he peeked at the female over the newspaper that he was using to shield himself from the world. His dark eyes scanned her face and when he realized he was not going to be verbally lashed for his dry retort, he lowered the newspaper and snuck a glance out the window. Through the frosted pane glass he, too, could see that the sky was significantly darker than normal and it was oddly turbulent despite their normally rainy climate. "Although it does look like a big one is coming in over the horizon. Tck, that's going to suck for you, ain't it?"

"Of course, considering it's my turn for patrol duty," Kaoru replied with a heavy eye roll as she reached up to muss her unbrushed hair as she blinked at Sanosuke owlishly, her eyes still swimming with the remains of sleep. The last few days had not been kind to them as they he been pelted with the worst of Mother Nature's brutal revenge on their region: hail, snow, heavy rain, and strong winds made their daily activities much more unpleasant and difficult and they often came home sopping wet and shivering violently from the cold air that penetrated all the way to their very bones. Their outdoor wear was useless against the rages of nature and Kaoru often found herself longing for warmer climates and sultry breezes as opposed to the frigid winds that ripped through her body.

"What area have you been assigned for today?" Sanosuke inquired as he raised the newspaper again, wrinkling his nose discretely at the smell of charred toast emitting from the ancient oven but opting not to say anything. He himself had just worked the night shift and was utterly exhausted from having picked his way through the shift, cursing their shift manager the entire nine hours he was out patrolling the area around their town. The bigger male was used to harsh elements, he himself being born in a northern territory, but the constant onslaught combined with the gruelling work they were expected to perform was excessive—even for someone like him who was a fairly rugged individual.

"I don't know, I have to check when I do a gear swap at the Long House," Kaoru replied as she let out a string of select words at the realization that her toast was burning and the oven was spewing black smoke into the small kitchen. Her long ponytail bobbed about comically as she tried to fish the ruined bread from the confines of the oven and she let out a yelp when her skin made contact with a hot piece of metal protruding from the oven's belly. She grunted as she managed to swipe the charred piece of bread onto a chipped plate before depositing them both into the trash, much to Sanosuke's bemusement.

"I just hope that I'm sticking near to the town, I don't want to be shipped to the base of the mountain or the forest again—at least not until this weather clears up," She grumbled as she cast her eyes through the window again and heaved a heavy sigh at the realization that her shift was going to be longer than the nine hours that it clocked in at and she was going to arrive home a soaking mess and probably in a fouler mood brought on by whatever the sky decided to dump on them.

"Could be, couldn't tell you though, I forgot to check your schedule," Sanosuke said with a sheepish look on his face before his face fell into its neutral resting position. He himself had joined the corps way before Kaoru had ever considered it and had garnered a bizarre reputation for being effective at fending off the enemies but being a sloth in the other associated duties. When he was paired up for housing with the younger Kaoru two years ago, she had been dismayed by his lack of compassion for others in their line of work but soon grew to understand his jaded approach to their labour duties. It was truly a cruel industry to be working and tolling away in and she foresaw her retirement a few years down the line if she were to make it that long.

"Of course you did," She muttered as she gave him a heated glare before leaning agains the counter. Her large wool sweater was oversized on her petite frame and the pants that clung to her hips fell in places that indicated they were also too big for her. It was a typical scenario for the inhabitants of their village: nothing seemed to fit as it should have and they had to make due with what was provided to them by Central in their yearly rations. She crossed her arms as she sighed inwardly and bit her lip as she ran through the mental checklist to ensure that anything around their shared house had been done before she ventured out for work.

"While I'm out, Sano, could you replace the firewood? We're running low. I think everything else is taken care of—or mostly taken care of," She asked as she glanced over at the taller male who lifted a hand in understanding and she nodded to herself as she considered to rack her mind to see if there was anything else missing from her mental list. Sighing again as she tilted her head, she grunted again as she whirled around on her heel and exited the small kitchen, giving Sanosuke a light tap on his shoulder, as she rounded the corner and plodded up the rickety stairs and entered her small room.

She herself was a native of the industrial village of Tereré and had grown up in the tight embraces of the small area that flanked the mighty and expansive mountain that was dressed in a covering of rich boreal forests that never seemed to perish. Kaoru had been educated in the only school before it was shut down by Central and its pupils relegated to menial labour designed to weed out which ones would be more useful in more intellectually stimulating positions. Tereré, despite its small size, was revered in importance in terms of natural resources and many of her classmates were sent to venture into the forest to survey the area as well as take stock of what could be easily excavated from the confines of the mountain and what would require much heavier labour and machinery. She herself had gone on a handful of those surveying excursions but found them generally unpleasant given that they often took several weeks and were stupidly dangerous to those who did not take the proper precautions. She had once seen the tally that Central maintained on the death count and she remembered her stomach churning at recognizing some of the names on said list.

Kaoru coughed heavily as she pushed open the door to her free standing wardrobe and reached into the dark space as she felt around for the rough material of the state-issued cloak they were all expected to don on their missions and patrol routes. She fished it from the hanger, tossing the device aside carelessly, and she spread the cloak out on her messily made bed as she eyed it for any damage. Satisfied that there was only slight fraying in the sleeves, she dug back into her closet as she groped around for the heavy boots that were required to move around the outer perimeter of Tereré, tossing them to the foot of her bed with the same lack of enthusiasm she had while performing her work duties.

"Sano? Have you seen my cap?" She called as she realized that she was missing the third mandatory piece of clothing that compromised their makeshift uniforms. The heavy wool cap that they were issued each year by Central was a horrendous crimson colour and it was rumoured to be hand knit by the residents of the Southern villages that lived in a much more comfortable climate. They were decorated with intricate patterns that wove around the base of the cap, greens and whites meshing into bizarre designs that were supposed to tell fables of their people, but she never paid great attention to those minor details as she was too focused on not freezing outside.

"It's on the sofa!" Sanosuke's voice echoed from downstairs and Kaoru muttered a silent reminder to herself that she had to put her garments back when she came home as opposed to tossing them about. Shrugging out of the oversized sweater and yanking a dark long sleeved form fitting shirt over her head, she felt the material ride up her lower back uncomfortably. She reached for her heavy cloak and jammed her arms and head into the appropriate holes before pulling it down over her body. She felt swaddled comfortably within the wool garment and glanced up in the mirror to see that it still fit properly and that her more vulnerable body parts were reasonably covered. Satisfied with having put it on properly, she reached for her boots and laced them up over the heavy socks that she had doubled up on to protect her feet from the elements.

"This one, yeah?" Sanosuke's head poked into her room as he handed her, her red cap with a look of disdain at the offensive colour. "They get uglier and uglier every year. They say they've run out of the dyes down South."

"Oh yeah?" Kaoru grumbled as she tugged the cap on over her hair, her ponytail catching painfully as she tried to free her hair from the tight fitting cap. "Tell me something they have not run out of in the South. Or in the North. Or in Tereré—I swear, they keep mucking up the supplies and we're going to be dead by next year." Sanosuke shrugged in silent agreement knowing that Central was more concerned with nourishing and garbing its capital's inhabitants before the far-flung villages and many of those living in the interior of the country were growing much more resentful of the lack of rations, supplies, and services that were trickling their way up the trade routes.

"It is what it is," Sanosuke said dismissively.

"I can't believe you still take that attitude knowing that we're last priority," Kaoru said dryly as she gave him a lingering look that reflected a certain degree of mirth in her sapphire stare. "You know how it's been over the last few years—when was the last time you ate meat?" Sanosuke's face was passive as he stared down at the smaller female who was watching him intensely before she huffed and pushed her hands into the pockets of her cloak.

"We all knew it was going to happen, Kaoru," Sanosuke finally said as he leaned against her doorway and gave her a pained look. "A lot of people have died because of the mismanagement and it is no secret that people are getting angry." Kaoru's gaze softened at his words knowing that they were true: she herself had lost her mother to an illness that was relatively treatable but due to the lack of medication and supplies, she had haemorrhaged to death on a disgusting hospital bed while Kaoru watched in horror. Her father had vanished into the mountains on a work expedition and had never returned—there was never any information given to her by the state or by the Ministry of the Interior. She resented Central for staining its hands with too many innocent victims but had steeled herself against its cruel hand when she realized that things were already on a gradual decline that was sliding down a dangerous slippery slope with no sign of stopping.

"I know," She mumbled darkly as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as she tried to quell the internal storm that was brewing within her. Sanosuke watched her with a careful eye as he tried to read her outward body language as her shoulders tightened and her head listed lazily as she calmed herself and the waves of rage that rampaged within her tiny body. The older male knew that despite being significantly petite and undersized for their job, she was quick-witted and analytical to the point it could have been considered a fault. Her intellect was above average for what their labour required of them yet she never once felt she was above the job.

"I have to get going, I'm going to be late and I don't want any problems with the Chief," Kaoru muttered as she slowly brushed by Sanosuke, her cloak billowing out behind her in a wave of fraying fabric and defeat. Kaoru's red-capped head vanished as she descended to the first floor of their tiny shared house and he winced when he heard the door slam heavily as she stepped out into the cold and bitter morning air. Closing in on the window, he saw her small figure slowly make its way down their residential street before hanging a left that would take her to the industrial area of the town—having walked the route thousands of times before, he knew that she would take about ten minutes to arrive to the Long House and another twenty to gear up and confirm her assigned territory to patrol.

Sanosuke grunted as he flicked the light off, casting her room into darkness as he himself meandered his way down the hall to his own cramped room, tossing his tired body onto the bed as he did not bother to undress himself and don his sleeping ware. He knew that as soon as Kaoru returned, he would probably still be asleep or attempting to start their dinner given that the following day was a day off for him. However, he and the other patrollers were worn to the bare minimum to stay functional and prioritized a significant rest over something trivial like changing into pyjamas.

After all, their environment was too unforgiving for them to contemplate such decisions as to the significance of wearing pyjamas or just conforming to a few hours of precious sleep on their once-weekly day off.

* * *

As Kaoru approached the Long House where she would be given her patrolling gear and her assignment, she caught sight of a familiar female that was crouched over the fire burning freely in a disused oil drum. Kaoru put a bit more spring into her step as she approached the lovely blonde that was staring intently into the dancing flicking flames and she closed the distance between them.

"Kaoru!" The female exclaimed at seeing her friend and plastering a warm smile onto her face. She was wearing a similar get-up to Kaoru—red cap and heavy cloak—but she was already geared up with the tools that were shared amongst all those that took patrol duty. She had a hefty pickaxe strapped to her back, the weapon glistening maliciously in the firelight, and she had a medium sized dagger strapped to her thigh that peeked through the open flap of the cloak. Her blonde hair was long and untamed and her eyes were a blue that matched Kaoru's in reflecting once blue sky that had slowly burned away to an ashy grey.

"Morning, Ro," Kaoru greeted as she reached out and embraced the pretty blonde who returned her gesture eagerly. "I haven't seen you in ages!" The dark haired female stood next to the taller blonde who made space for her to join her at the fire.

"Yes, well, I got switched to the morning shift after I threatened Enishi's croons with black mail," Ro said as she pulled a long face and Kaoru felt herself scowl heavily at the mention of the idiots that were in charge of their shifts as well as assignments. "They had been pocketing resources they find out on patrols and I happened to catch one of them trying to barter in the market. Needless to say, they were more than happy to switch me over to the morning shift." She grinned wolfishly as her Southern accent bled into her narrative and she gave Kaoru a much softer smile.

"How are you holding up, Kaoru?" Ro inquired as she fed a sizeable stick into the roaring drum fire as she glanced at her female friend. "I heard about what happened a few weeks ago—I'm sorry." Kaoru stilled momentarily but shook her head as she bit back the words that she wanted to let spill from her mouth.

"I'm okay, I guess, it's part of the job," She answered dutifully as she gave Ro a knowing look that was returned by a sympathetic one. The two had met in their orientation missions and grew to be fast friends: Ro had immigrated from the South to join her partner in the Northern industrial regions and she had been ruthlessly teased because of her flowery accent and her lighter features that were typical of the Southern inhabitants. She had a stiff upper lip the first few weeks but after being paired up with Kaoru, they discovered they had many things in common and their training flew by as they learned the ropes together and passed their practicals together. Ro had lost her partner since then—damned idiot went into the mountain without the right sack—and she had thrown herself into her work to dull the sensation of an empty house. When Kaoru had asked as why she had not returned to the South, Ro had shrugged it off with a casual indifference and said it really did not matter to her at this point.

"I'm sorry I have not been able to check in on you," She apologized as she brushed a blonde strand from her face that was red from the cold. "But, hey, good news! We're going to be working together on this shift! I checked the schedule and they have us together for the next four or five days." Kaoru smiled brightly at the thought of being able to work with the impish blonde and she tapped her shoulder as she rushed into the Long House to get her gear and to get suited up for the route they were going to take that morning.

"Morning, Kaoru!" Another voice called and she returned the greeting to Tae, who was manning the desk with the gear registration and the overall inner mechanisms of the Long House. Tae's face was gentle if not weathered from having to deal with some of the more barbaric individuals of the division, yet she and Kaoru had a fairly good working relationship.

"Good morning," Kaoru returned the greeting as she gave Tae a snappy salute in plain mockery of their work. Tae gave her a disapproving look but did not comment as she checked Kaoru's name against the schedule and her assigned route. Kaoru waited patiently as Tae ran through the lists and muttered a few things to herself before vanishing into the vast weaponry and tools room that was behind her. Kaoru often wondered about what was inside the sacred room—having no legitimate right nor authority to enter on her own accord—and she often tried to crane her neck to catch a peek at what was resting within the darkness of the expanse of room.

"You're going out this morning?" Another voice called, seemingly directed at Kaoru who tore her eyes away from the dark room and glanced over her shoulder. Aoshi, one of the more respectable commanders, was peering at her from across the room as his own cloak swathed his tall frame within its warm folds, his red cap perched precariously to the side and threatening to slide off at any moment.

"Commander," Kaoru said as she saluted him and straightened her back.

"I see that you and Ro have been assigned together on Route Zed," He said dryly.

"Yes'sir," She replied as she lowered her hand from the salute and rested it at her side as she internally cursed her bad luck for having been given Route Zed. Each of the routes around the village and the forested mountain were given a letter so that their delegation to the patrol groups was easy to follow. They had been required to memorize all twenty six routes and geographic features of each one so that they would be able to work any route without much need for prior information or preparation. Route Zed was not a difficult route but it was steep as it wound its way in and around the forest before looping around and depositing its travellers at the front gate of Tereré. It was a long route, though fairly flat and peaceful, and Kaoru knew that she should expect to tack another hour or so onto her shift just because it took so long to clear the area and patrol the assigned zone.

"There have been reports of more attacks along that area as well as Route Y," Aoshi said simply as he looked away from her. "Ensure that you and Ro are not bumbling around and you actually complete the patrol correctly." Kaoru bit her tongue momentarily before giving a brusk nod of her head in acknowledgement of her Commander's orders. Aoshi had been the one to have trained her and Ro and knew that the two of them, despite working well together, were often distracted and this meant it could lead to potential consequences if they were ambushed on the route.

"What sorts of reports, sir? I have only been patrolling Routes C, F, and J recently," Kaoru asked as she straightened her cap on her head and flattened a part of her cloak that was sticking out haphazardly.

"We have been investigating but it has been slow given that the weather has not been cooperative," Aoshi answered as he reached up and removed his cap from his head, pocketing it within the folds of his cloak. "One individual has been killed and others have sustained wounds. From the medical reports from the medical brigade, it seems that they are wounds that are designed to disable movement or even become lethal if hit with the right amount of force."

"Are they human, sir?"

"I cannot answer that question," Aoshi said as he looked behind Kaoru to see that Tae had returned to the desk with Kaoru's supplies bundled in her arms. Kaoru nodded in relief to see that her wooden bokken was resting on top of the messenger bag as well as a dagger identical to Ro's. The messenger bag was neatly organized with a notebook for observation and field notes, a few pens and pencils, a meal ration that was pathetically laughable, as well as bandages for any nicks or cuts they could receive tramping through the forest.

"It's all here and logged, Kaoru," Tae explained as she handed over Kaoru's gear and watched as the younger female strapped the bokken over her back, its hilt poking over her left shoulder for easy access if needed. Kaoru slung the messenger bag over her shoulder and she ensured that it was securely fastened before letting it slide against the natural angles of her body.

"Perfect, I'll bring it back in nine hours," Kaoru said as she gave Tae a grateful smile before signing her name on the log sheet to acknowledge that she had received her assigned tools and gear. Aoshi watched the exchange with a heavy look of boredom on his face and did not send Kaoru off with a farewell as she saluted him again on her way out, making her way over to Ro who was conversing with another immigration to Tereré, whose name Kaoru did not know but whose face she recognized from seeing her in the rationing office or on the street.

"Great, you're ready to go," Ro commented as she looked over at the other female that was watching Kaoru passively with a critical eye that made Kaoru shiver slightly. "Sorry, Tomoe, I have to be off now. Shift is starting—but let's catch up soon, hey? I'm working mornings again so I have lots of time in the afternoon to visit you."

"Of course, Ro," Tomoe said stiffly as she refused to budge her stare from Kaoru. "I beg your pardon, but your name is…?"

"Kaoru," Kaoru replied as she extended her hand out and Tomoe stared down at it. Tomoe had a similar accent to that of Ro, hinting that she was from further South and not indigenous to the frigid North and its icy customs. "It's nice to, uh, meet you?" She waited hesitantly for Tomoe to shake her hand but the alluringly beautiful woman did not acknowledge her gesture of greeting as she stared down at Kaoru with a heavy look of contempt painted on her elegant face and a stare that was inky dark. Kaoru dropped her hand to her side.

"Kaoru," Tomoe repeated blandly as her face revealed nothing to the younger women who were staring at her. "I see you and Ro are both patrollers."

"That's right, Tomoe," Ro said nervously as she felt the tension in the air thicken significantly and her body felt the static between the two dark haired females. Ro's ears were red as she tried to read the situation and the atmosphere and seemed anxious to defuse it before it became that much more unbearable. "I know you're still new to Tereré, but you have to shake someone's hand if it's offered to you, eh."

"You carry a sword," Tomoe's caustic voice reached Kaoru's ears and she felt her veins ice over momentarily at the statement. It was a simple observation but it seemed to transmit something unknown to Kaoru but made her extremely nervous as she side stepped and tried to put a bit of distance between her and this so-called Tomoe that was regarding her with a cool expression that did not reveal any of the typical Southern warmth that Ro seemed to let roll of her in waves.

"We are required to be armed while performing our jobs," Kaoru settled for as she answered something that was not even a question. She blinked harshly as Tomoe continued to eye her but she felt something tugging on her arm, only to discover that it was Ro trying to steer her towards the path they were required to take to reach Route Zed.

"Tomoe, we can catch up another time, alright? Kaoru and I have to be going now if we want to be back by nightfall," Ro interjected harshly as she tugged Kaoru's arm viciously once again and guided her towards the start of the Routes that forked out into different paths that diverted its travellers along the different paths around Tereré and the surrounding area. Tomoe simply nodded at the blonde and cast her eyes once again to Kaoru, her face expressing her desire to vocalize something but her mouth remaining firmly shut as she watched Ro shove Kaoru around the Long House and out of Tomoe's line of vision.

"Jeez, what's her problem?" Kaoru griped as she readjusted the messenger bag so it rested comfortably against her. Ro was silent as she refused to release Kaoru's sleeve and continued to insistently tug her along until they reached the part of the road where it forked off into Routes Zed, G, and K. The blonde was unusually quiet, a complete one-eighty from her normally bubbly personality that seemed to radiate sunshine, but she continued to ferry Kaoru along as they hit their stride on the right path.

"Ro? Are you okay?" Kaoru asked softly as she felt Ro's hand slide down her sleeve and latch onto her hand, weaving her fingers with Kaoru's as she squeezed the dark haired female's hand gently, seeming to reassure herself that Kaoru was intact and still breathing. Ro's own face was one painted with preoccupation and anxiety as she quickly glanced at Kaoru before training her eyes ahead on the path with the great forest looming ahead of the two of them.

"Ro?"

"Tomoe said something to me before you came out of the Long House," Ro forcibly said as she bit her lip and gnawed at the tender skin before glancing back at Kaoru, drawing up next to her so that they were walking together in stride as opposed to her pulling her along the path. "Do you know who she is?"

"She's… Tomoe," Kaoru answered dumbly and Ro gave her a baffled stare as though stating the very obvious was the wrong thing to have been said in such a bizarre moment. "Otherwise, no—I've seen her a few times around the village but… I never paid attention, I guess." Ro nodded slightly as she released Kaoru's hand and stuffed her hands into her sleeves as she seemed to contemplate what she wanted to say to Kaoru.

"She's from a neighbouring village in the South, I think it was called Elizondo," Ro began to explain as the two females worked their way up the slight incline that would dump them close to the entry port of the forest where only those with credentials and work papers were allowed to traverse.

"It was called Elizondo?" Kaoru repeated as she emphasized Ro's use of the past tense.

"Those small villages around mine were destroyed in the campaigns launched by Central as they attempted to pillage as well as take account of our village populations and who was who," Ro remarked as her eyebrows drew together tightly. "It was about ten years ago that Elizondo was destroyed, I guess. They burned it to the ground—there were too many problems and Central just wanted to rid it from the map. She and a few others were then shipped to my village, which thankfully was spared from the more intense warfare from the national campaign.

"Anyways, Tomoe was the sort of girl that was quiet and kept to herself but rumour has it she sees things or predicts things—whatever, I'm not sure what the facts of the story are or even if they're true—like I said, total rumour," Ro continued as she looked at Kaoru who was listening to the story intently. "But a lot of what she was saying was a nonsense sort of thing, you know? Crazy things that we never quite understood where they were coming from. A lot of people sort of laughed at her or blamed it on the trauma from the campaign on her village. Well—until a lot of those things she was saying became true."

"What do you mean 'became true'?" Kaoru asked as she felt a sense of dread knot up in her stomach and churn dangerously in warning that she was not going to like what she was going to hear from her close friend.

"For example, she said that a prominent member of the Central Delegation government was going to be found dead within two weeks," Ro said softly as her eyes narrowed at the memory of hearing the rumours for the first time as a much younger individual. "Well, you know that saying things like that gets you in jail—so while she was in jail, she was under watch and the Delegation member just died. Heart attack, they think—it doesn't matter. She predicted it."

"That's a coincidence, isn't it?" Kaoru pointed out as she stuck her nose in the air and took a whiff of the cold morning air that seemed to clear her lungs. "Or she was potentially collaborating with someone that knew about it—there's a whole bunch of explanations."

"She also said that our village would suffer from a great famine because of a drought of the river and she was right again," Ro murmured quietly as she reached up to tuck her golden mane to the side. Her blue eyes were glassy with the memories of her childhood that were not openly discussed between the two friends and Kaoru felt herself sobering significantly at the seriousness with which Ro spoke. "The point is, Tomoe sort of got a reputation for knowing things before they happened. She was often consulted by Delegation members or by merchants or trade officials to ensure that our village's region was able to keep its head above water despite whatever the idiots in Central were doing."

"So why is she up here in Tereré?" Kaoru asked briskly.

"Well, I got to talking to her about that and she said that there was something that was pulling her here and she could not ignore it," Ro answered stoically as she brushed her chin with her hand and glanced back at Kaoru who was watching her with a guarded expression. "She wandered all the way up the trade routes from the South and bypassed Central—said something about a dream and a mountain village. There's not that many villages in the North with mountains, so I guess she went from village to village until she found what she was looking for."

"And what was that?" Ro's neck stiffened at Kaoru's question and she gave her friend a nervous look as her celestial blue eyes peered into Kaoru's sapphire ones with an almost empty pleading to them as she reached down and grasped Kaoru's right hand between her two own hands. The blonde's behaviour was unsettling to Kaoru—she had never seen Ro act this bizarrely, including after her husband's death, and she felt the entire experience was too surreal to believe and she was having her own odd dream and would wake up in the warm embrace of her mother's handmade blankets.

"Well, what was it, Ro?" Kaoru insisted.

"You," Ro hissed between her teeth as she squeezed Kaoru's hand once again. "She kept rambling on and on about Kaoru, Kaoru, and Kaoru. Believe me, I was surprised when I ran into her a few weeks ago! But she had not said anything then about you—in fact, we just had tea and caught up with news from the South that had not reached her. It was only today that she mentioned you."

"And why would she predict something about me?" Kaoru asked incredulously as they drew closer to the forest that was looming ominously ahead of them. They flashed their identification plaques to the two guards that were standing before them and parted on the path to allow the two patrollers to continue on their assigned route. "Why is she seeing me in these visions of hers?"

"I don't know," Ro answered heatedly as she whirled her head around once again to stare at Kaoru, her light blue eyes wide open and red rimmed with tears as she gawked at her dark headed companion's face. Her eyes were just as stormy as the skies above them that threatened to open its divine wrath upon Tereré once again and Kaoru took a hesitant step backwards as Ro swiped angrily at her eyes. "But, Kaoru, anything that Tomoe has ever seen has always been bad."

"B-bad?" Kaoru stammered as she reached up and tightened her hold on the bokken that was fastened around her. Ro froze in her steps as the first branches of the expansive canopy began to block out the minimum light that they had and she turned around to fully face Kaoru as she wrapped her arms around her body and shivered at the onslaught of memories of Tomoe's predictions that she had been more than happy to block from her mind upon abandoning the Southern villages.

"If she's seen you, there's something bad that's going to happen to you," Ro whispered harshly as she felt the breeze pick up, ruffling her mane of golden honey hair, both their cloaks billowing around them and exposing their shins to the forest and the cool air that threatened to suffocate them. "I don't want to lose another person—not so soon," Ro continued to whisper as she closed her eyes and sunk to the ground, the handle of her pickaxe sticking up proudly over her shoulder as she coughed heavily, her lungs racking and the cough vibrating her body. Kaoru sighed heavily as she ran a hand over her red cap but approached the blonde who was going through some unseen trauma that she could not comprehend.

"Ro," Kaoru whispered as she lowered herself onto the damp forest round with the pretty blonde who was on the delicate cusp of crying. "Ro, sssshhh, it's okay. We're here together, remember? Think about our training days and how we were there for each other—it's the same, nothing is going to happen, alright?" She reached out and wrapped her arms around her friend's shaking body, trying to will her friend's fears away as she felt a lump rise in her throat.

"It's just that Tomoe—"

"—Ro," Kaoru cut in as she embraced her friend tightly to her own small body. "Nothing will happen. We have each other—Sanosuke is here, too—we just have to watch each other's backs like we always have." She watched as Ro tried to detach herself from Kaoru's arms and stared at her friend—two hues of blue orbs meeting each other as they stared into each other's eyes. "Now, we have to get moving, okay? We can't be out here until nightfall—otherwise we will be in deep trouble." She gave the blonde a hesitant smile as she dragged both of them to their feet and steadied her friend on her feet.

"We didn't get into this patrol brigade worrying about visions and predicts or death," Kaoru reminded her firmly as she grasped her friend's hand and took the role of ferrying her along Route Zed's marked path as they walked along in amicable silence, their weapons clinking together and their cloaks rustling with their movements. "If anything, we signed away our lives to a promised death—but we're not going to go out without a bang if it comes to it." Ro's eyes widened in realization that Kaoru was parroting her own words back at her and she let a crooked smile tip her lips upwards as she nodded firmly.

"And if we go out dying—"

"—We do it in style," Kaoru finished as she gave Ro her cheeky grin only reserved for those who knew her intimately and were on her good side. Kaoru was a social individual who did not despise meeting new individuals yet she was cautious when allowing people to skirt close to her personal life. If they flew too closely to things she wished left unsaid or untouched, she would balk and reject them—her own insecurities rearing their ugly heads. Sanosuke and Ro were a few of the individuals she had allowed to approach her and it had paid back wonders in spades as she found great friendships in the two of them despite the fact it had taken a spell for them to reach a mutual point of understanding and comprehension.

"We've got nine hours ahead of us, hey," Ro remarked as she steeled herself against the wind and glanced at Kaoru with a look of mischief on her face as she tried to hide the fear that was still pooling in the corners of her brilliant eyes. "Let's do some serious catch up—it's been ages, right?"

"Of course," Kaoru relented as she touched her messenger bag and adjusted her bokken once more as they trailed deeper into the talons of the mysterious forest that had taken so much from them yet gave them very little.

* * *

A/N: Hello! Thank you for deciding to read this lovely work of fiction. Despite not owning any of the characters, it is always fun to plop them into AU situations and to take their development in different directions. Plus, the introduction of certain OC is always a nice bonus because you can change their interactions with canon characters. Ro is going to be a fun creature to write about and flesh out and I look forward to doing so! As we get deeper into the plot, you will begin to understand the mechanics of the world that they are living in as well as the backstory, politics, and the different types of individuals that inhabit a fairly turbulent environment. For now, don't forget to leave a review! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter II

|Light|

"May your journey overflow with light and darkness."

* * *

"She's sort of stupid looking, isn't she?" A voice bickered from behind Kaoru who was crouched over her boots, an oiling rag in hand and a bottle of locally produced boot oil designed to keep them serviceable under any weather conditions. She had been applying the oil into the rough leather of her boots for the last thirty minutes but saw it was doing little to nothing as her boots continued to remain unpolished and sloppy looking. She cursed Sanosuke for not showing her how to maintain them properly when they were first teamed up and she had half an opinion about getting him to finance a new pair of boots that he could easily procure from the black market he was so fond of referencing when they complained about supplies.

"Well, they're desperate trying to let women into the patrol ranks—not too many people want to do it, you know?" Another voice answered in reply and she felt her eyebrow quirk. It was not the first occasion that she had heard her male peers sneering at her and her smaller appearances or the fact that she was one of two patrollers that had recently joined the ranks. She knew that Ro also received similar skepticism and insults and was less reactionary to it—often shrugging it off and then proving that she was more than capable when they were required to train in basic hand to hand combat. Kaoru was much more vocal about her thoughts on gender equality in the work place and had often escalated to shouting matches with the more pig headed villagers that had also joined the patrols.

"She would be good for staying at home and cooking and making sure the fires stay lit," The first voice bit out and Kaoru felt her grip on the rap tighten immensely as she tried to control the fire that was burning away at the candle of her patience, leaving the wick dangerously close to being reduced to nothing. Ro was sitting in front of her and was eying her with a harsh glare that told her not to engage with them—it would have led to nothing and she could have a demerit mark on her folder if she was not prudent.

"The jokes on them anyway, Kaoru," Ro muttered as she continued to polish her own boots. "Your cooking sucks."

"That's _not_ funny," Kaoru grunted as she gave her friend a scathing look to which Ro stuck out her tongue in play defiance. "It's not _that_ bad—is it?"

"I've had better," Ro answered truthfully as she dipped her rag into the oil once again and slowly ran the cloth over the tongue of the boot she was currently working on. "I've also had worse—but that was on the train ride up to here and they had run out of rations and—"

"Okay, okay, so what? Cooking isn't everything," Kaoru retorted with a vaguely unladylike snort as she pointed an accusing finger at Ro.

"No, it's not, so prove your worth on patrol and that's the end of the story, hey?" Ro countered as she gave Kaoru a sharp look and then cast her glance over at Aoshi who was surveying the recently recruited's handiwork with the tough leather and pointing out where the recruits were going wrong with his typical no-nonsense approach. They had already neared the end of their mandatory training and were just three days short of signing their lives over the Ministry of the Interior before a Delegation representative from Central and both females had pointedly decided they would not let the less tolerant males steal their thunder.

When they were called forth to sign their contracts, Kaoru and Ro were given an empty applause as they were recognized as the first two women to have successfully made their way through the rigorous training. As Ro signed her name with a flourish on her contract scroll and Kaoru was finishing her own simple signature, the Delegation representative looked down at them with a look of pity and awe as he watched two independent females sign away their freedom—binding them to the state and Central's mission to expand its reach further into unchartered territory.

"The state wishes you the best in your journeys," The representative crooned.

Kaoru and Ro just stared with a resigned look to their young faces.

* * *

"Oh, yes, I quite remember that conversation," Ro said as she puffed out her chest and adjusted her red cap on her head, giving Kaoru a pained look as she remembered how the men would viciously lash out at them verbally or put tacks in their boots or dump their cloaks out in the rain or snow. Ro and Kaoru had quickly risen to the tops of their division and had been able to stand their grounds with even the more bearish males as Kaoru learned to wield her bokken with elegance and prowess as she learned where to hit hard to make it count. Less could be said about Ro and her massive pickaxe but she was an effective fighter when corralled and given space to arc her weapon and fall into step to be able to brandish the massive weapon.

"I think the really piggy looking one was killed on his third patrol route or something like that," Ro commented wryly as her blue eyes turned up wards the sky as she took in the clouds that were forming over head. They had been patrolling for the last four hours, writing down observations in their notebooks that they would later turn over Tae who would revise their notes and pass on any information to the necessary authorities. Kaoru had sketched out a bizarre pink flower that she had never seen before, measuring it and jotting it down while Ro prepared some tea for them to drink while also keeping guard. They later reversed the roles when Ro noticed massive footprints too big to be a human's dotting alongside Route Zed's path and she sketched them out and measured them compared to her and Kaoru's feet.

They both knew that whatever had made that footprint had passed through there within the last few hours given that the prints had not been totally destroyed by the weather given that it had rained until the early morning and had not rained since they began their patrol. Ro was muttering to herself as she sketched out the footprints and made observations about the direction they were heading, from where they could have originated, and theorized what sort of creature could have left them. Kaoru was watching their surrounding area as she held her bokken out in front of her—her eyes focused and alert as Ro conducted her field work quickly and quietly to avoid disturbing whatever might be lingering in the heavy growth of the trees.

"Whatever made that is a big boy," Ro murmured as she tucked her notebook back into her messenger bag and brushed her hair from her face. Her pickaxe was leaning against a tree and she reached for her weapon, securing it to her back once again as she smiled at Kaoru and they resumed their patrol of the area that was Route Zed. The two were chatting quietly amongst themselves, Ro's previous anxiety about what she had revealed about Tomoe to Kaoru seemingly squashed for the moment, and they felt the forest pass underneath their booted feet as time dragged around them at a leisurely pace that they both found enjoyable enough.

"What do you think it is?"

"Who knows?" Ro said as she threw her hands in the air, her rich accent echoing off the trees as she gave Kaoru another glimmering smile which was returned by the dark haired female. "Who cares? As long as we don't have to deal with it—I don't mind making a nice sketch of its footprint. It's lovely, really."

"Well, Aoshi did say they have had reports of attacks on Route Zed lately," Kaoru said thoughtfully as she recalled the older male's warning before she had exited the Long House with her gear. "He didn't say if it was a human causing it, though. In fact, he said he couldn't say anything."

"Might be a _vizinho_ ," Ro drawled as she gave Kaoru an unimpressed look in reference to the mythical and potent creatures that lurked within the forest and were a constant bane on the existence of the human populations scattered throughout the land. "Or someone who controls them—neither of which is appealing, for the record."

"Or it could be a very big mountain lion," Kaoru interjected sarcastically as she shrugged off Ro's waggling eyebrows and her attempts of trying to lighten the mood. Their two cloaked figures ghosted over the forest floor as they moved between trees and branches, their eyes constantly scanning their environment as they took in the forest and everything she wished to hide or reveal at her own whim.

"Oh, yes, _that's_ what it was," Ro said with a false inkling of ignorance creeping into her voice and lighting up her face. Her light blue eyes were awash with light as she glanced at Kaoru with a mock-look of horror as she unhitched her massive pitch axe and grasped it close to her as though she were assuming a defensive position. "Actually, if it is—good for him. He probably ate the ones too stupid to fight."

"I was being sarcastic," Kaoru said dryly and she rolled her blue eyes at her patrol partner as well as friend. They often passed their patrols this way as they made jokes and played into each other's antics—much to Aoshi's annoyance—yet they had nothing better to do while the forest was silent and there was little activity to register. They had already walked half of Route Zed and had not seen anything other than the giant footprint that would be worthy of suspicion on their part and it was turning into a fairly mundane routine patrol for the two females. Ro had already ran through their tea ration—cursing Central for reducing it once again when they needed it in the North—and Kaoru knew that her tea ration was on the lower end as well.

"Well, I wasn't," Ro huffed as she flicked her hair from beneath her cap and gave Kaoru a fiery look. "I would like to think of it as population control—well, one that isn't regulated by Central. Mother Nature sure likes to have her way with us as it is! The _vizinhos_ , too."

"Considering the South has been hit the hardest by the campaigns, it's incredible that you still can make jokes about that," Kaoru said blandly as she winced at the thoughts of the campaigns Central had launched on the North. Kaoru's Northern blood was that of a warrior and she knew that her fellow villagers resisted as much as they could when the government had purged Tereré of what they had deemed to be threats to the state. Visions of bloodshed, public executions, and lots of families being destroyed danced before her eyes and she blinked them away as she focused on a particularly large evergreen tree that lingered ahead of them.

The campaigns marked a heavy and dark period in the contemporary period of their nation's history and she had lived through the less brutal of the two massive ways of government intervention. All Kaoru knew prior to the campaigns being conducted in the Northern villages was there was not as much tension with the vizinhos and both humans and creatures were able to live in relative harmony together. However, in the post-campaign era that marred the North and left it in a state of industrial wasteland quality, Kaoru became painfully aware of how the Earth was trying to reclaim what it had lost and what it was losing as the _vizinhos_ became vicious and indiscriminate with attacking humans. Central's reaction had been to form a patrol brigade that was meant to monitor the attacks and the routes most traveled by those who were assigned to do survey work in the forest with the intention of exploiting its natural resources.

Ro had told her very little about the campaigns in the South, but she knew that they had been more destructive and had reduced the South's population significantly. According to her friend's stories and recounting of certain situations, it seems that the respect between _vizinhos_ and humans had gone beyond the mutual understanding and tolerance and there had been a lot of intermingling between the two groups. Ro had described often being visited by a lovely _vizinho_ that would come and sing her to sleep— _a great bear of a thing, he was massive but very gentle and warm!_ —or how her parents would provide woven cloth to the _vizinhos_ in exchange for certain fruits and vegetables. The campaigns that had passed through the South left it a dangerous place to inhabit and the vizinhos there had also began their slaughter of humans. Central had taken a different approach to the region: they did not have patrol brigades but rather mass extermination of human sympathizers and _vizinhos_ alike.

"What better way to handle tragedy than with a bit of humour?" Ro said dryly as she swung her pickaxe around in a well practiced arc before she shouldered it and rested her head against it while glancing at Kaoru. "It is what it is, Kaoru, we're only here because of other's actions."

"Because of Central," Kaoru corrected.

"Basically," Ro said in heavy agreement. "Things are rough as it is—yet they still surprise us and make it even more difficult. Funny how it works like that, hey?"

"Hardly," Kaoru replied. She herself had, had very little contact with the _vizinhos_ in the North but she was still very hesitant to kill them given that her parents had educated her that those acts of violence against what the Earth itself considered her children were heinous and hardly appropriate. She knew that if her parents were still living they would be furious with her and her decision to deviate from the survey brigade and move towards the patrol group and its mission to ensure that the paths were clear for human use. She remembered crying the first time that she had been forced to kill a weasel shaped _vizinho_ that was attacking the mining division and she remembered Ro holding her to calm her down. The feeling had dulled over time—much to her shame—and she was able to deliver a blow to a creature in what she prayed was the most humane of inhumane acts that she performed on occasion.

"Do you miss the South, Ro"?

"Not really, not after so much time here," Ro answered easily as she slid next to Kaoru and rested her other arm around the staff of her pickaxe. "I'm an honorary Northern after all this—never would have picked up a weapon in the South. I guess you can say the warrior blood within me was awoken?" Kaoru gave her a wry grin as she watched Ro stumble on the path as the axe's weight made her knees buckle on the uneven terrain.

"You've never been down South, right?" Ro questioned.

"I've never left Tereré," Kaoru answered and Ro gave her a sympathetic look. "I've never had a reason to, I guess."

"Why? World's a big place."

"Because it's the same crap anywhere you go," Kaoru replied.

"Yes, but the South is the same crap _with_ better weather," Ro pointed out with a half smile from beneath her blonde locks. She was about to say something else but she blinked twice as her head twisted upwards and she stared at the sky. "Nice timing." The sky was threatening to open its great doors and let the rain pour forth and the two women groaned at the realization they still had three hours of their patrol left and they still had to descend back to the village on a very dangerous slope that was perilous even without the rain. Ro returned the pickaxe to her back, adjusting the strap accordingly so that it rested on her and allowed her more mobility.

"Your fault," Kaoru called tauntingly as she tugged the cloak's hood over her red capped head and glanced at the blonde who was glaring at her comically. "Let's get moving—maybe there's a place we can rest up ahead." Ro nodded in agreement as she bit back a witty retort and the two hurried along the path as the rain started to pick up tempo and pelted their cloaks angrily as though punishing them for being out in the elements. Their booted feet ran over the unsteady ground as they kept their eyes peeled and their ears alert for anything that would use the rain as a cover to hide their own movements from the trained patrollers.

About fifteen minutes into their hurried scramble down the path, they noticed a low overhang rock formation that was set off the path a good two hundred meters that would require them stomping over some thick undergrowth. Kaoru gestured to Ro who saw the formation as well as they stole a quick glance at how difficult it would be to arrive but they barrelled through the undergrowth, their feet snagging against roots and branches. Ro took a nasty slip and nearly took out Kaoru who managed to snag her friend by her cloak's sleeve and yank her up before she hit the ground.

As they pushed their way through the underbrush, Kaoru felt that the formation grew further away but felt relief upon reaching it and she threw herself to the ground, the cool stone hitting her flesh like the cold air around them. Ro took a much more delicate approach and plopped down next to her companion and inhaled deeply as she tried to catch her breath from being so winded. Ro's blonde hair was stuck to her forehead and Kaoru's ponytail was sopping to the point it was heavy and made holding her head up difficult. The two females' breathing was laboured as they surveyed their surroundings and deemed it was safe enough if they sat back to back so that one could watch what was happening in the trees that flanked them as well.

Ro and Kaoru pushed themselves together as they tried to stay alert and pick out what were the natural sounds of the forest from whatever was lingering in the darkness. They were both aware that there were creatures great and small—vizinhos—lurking in the shadows and probably watching them with the same disdain that Ro and Kaoru showed towards them on their patrol routes. With Aoshi's warning in mind, Kaoru reached for her messenger bag and tried to fumble about the contents to procure a few matches but grimaced when she realized they had not been included in the sack's rations.

"Ro, can you get a fire started?" Kaoru asked as she looked over at the blonde who was stretching out her legs and trying to touch her toes as her blue eyes remained glued to the forest that spread out around them.

"You bet," Ro chirped as she pushed herself to her feet, slinging the pickaxe from her back and resting her weight against it. Kaoru always marvelled at how someone only a few centimetres taller than her could carry such a heavy piece of weaponry around for nine or ten hour spurts. Ro had once let Kaoru try swinging the axe in the typical defence arc she had developed and Kaoru had dropped it—chipping the delicate weapon, which had earned her a burning look from Ro who was beyond unimpressed with the lack of her friend's upper body strength. The pickaxe had been one specially designed for the burlier of male patrollers but Ro had insisted heavily on learning how to use it and she had garnered quite the reputation as a formidable user of such a unique weapon.

As Ro busied herself with gathering the few stray bits of tinder, Kaoru ripped a few pages from her field notebook and balled them up between her fists, tossing them into the pile. She then rose, her eyes still watching their surroundings, as Ro heaved the mighty pickaxe above her head and brought it down against the rocks with a well practiced sweep, creating a small rain of sparks that desperately leapt towards the paper and dried leaves. Ro gave another swing, this time succeeding in making sure that the sparks reached their destined target and a small flicker of a fire came to life within their makeshift fire pit as the two females looked on to ensure it was controlled and easy to put out for when they were to move on. The rains howled around them as the winds picked up, raindrops occasionally spattering against them but they were mostly dry and content with the temporary shelter.

The two women settled against each other's backs once more, Ro yawning deeply as her eyes fell into a half lidded state as she peered through the darkness that was bleeding towards them. Kaoru was much more alert, the caffeine from the tea they had brewed earlier running through her veins, and her own sapphire eyes were wide open as she, too, stared into the trees. She felt a creeping sensation rising up her spine—a familiar chill of being watched from the shadows of the heavy coverings of the trees—and it made goose pimples rise up and down her arms as she straightened her back and narrowed her eyes.

It was not the first time she had been caught in the rain in the dark and gloomy forest whose trees seemed to create the sensation of ever lasting darkness and night time: on one of her first patrols with Sanosuke they had been caught on Route C, a fairly precarious route that almost cut through the forest where the logging division tended to work and conduct surveys, in a massive downpour and they had managed to scrabble their way to a damp cave that was tucked away off the route. Sanosuke had been fairly silent as they waited for the rain to pass and she thought that he had been angered by the fact she was still a novice and slowed down his much longer gait. However, it was only after they reached home after checking in with Tae at the Long House that he explained that they were being watched by something from beyond their line of vision and he was on guard to ensure that they were not attacked the instant they let the smallest of fragments of vulnerability show through.

"It's the worst possible scenario for us," He explained as he shed his cloak, dumping it unceremoniously on their overstuffed sofa that was sagging in the centre. "Bad terrain, bad weather, no home field advantage, out-numbered, and reduced visibility. It's what gets us all killed in the end—it's not the getting lost in the forest: ambushes and dropping your guard, Missy. Remember that." Kaoru remembered those words starkly as she was attempting to towel dry her hair and she remembered the same chill that had travelled up and down her spine.

"There's something there," Kaoru said faintly as she tightened her grasp on the bokken and felt Ro shift behind her.

"You feel it, too?"

"Yeah," Kaoru murmured as she swallowed and focused her gaze even more as she tried to pick out through the darkness.

"You think it's a _vizinho?_ "

"Not a doubt in my mind," Kaoru replied evenly as she braced herself and slowly rose to her feet, feeling Ro imitate her movements as they kept their backs pressed together, their tiny fire dancing about and casting oddly shaped shadows around them as though the bare minimum of light was playing against them. Kaoru could hear Ro moving her pickaxe to a defensive position and she, too, assumed her own defensive stance as she held her bokken out proudly and she grounded herself as she assessed the area around them.

Fighting in such a tight enclosed space put Ro at an offensive disadvantage given that she needed open space to be able to engage in combat effectively and Kaoru chalked that up to a significant loss. She knew that Ro would be able to defend better, using the pickaxe's broadsided head as something to fend off and beat back but the much sharper pick resting on the other part of the eye was rendered useless. Kaoru determined that she had the better offensive advantage that would require her to do a lot more of the closer combat given that she could move in much tighter spaces without worrying significantly about landing an accident hit on Ro. The two of them had trained through this simulated scenario various times—Aoshi correcting them and forcing them to repeat the drill thousands of times until perfected—and they fell against each other in sync as Ro's pickaxe's sharp pick was picked up in Kaoru's peripheral vision.

"This is not the best space to be fighting in," Ro voiced as though she read Kaoru's mind.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"Well, I have an idea," Ro teased as she slid her left foot slightly further out to widen her stance. "I say we make a quick loop around the rock formation to check and see how close they are to us. You take the left, I take the right and we meet in the middle. We're both armed—but it's risky given the terrain is slippery and it's not part of Route Zed."

"How big of a loop are you thinking?"

"Thirty meters?"

"That's too big," Kaoru pointed out as she contracted her shoulder muscles. "Twenty?"

"Twenty meter loop—I think we can swing that. It shouldn't take us more than ten minutes," Ro agreed hesitantly as though she doubted the merits of her own proposal. "I don't like it though—we're just basically handing ourselves over on a silver tray asking to be attacked."

"Nervous?"

Ro laughed in response but Kaoru knew that the blonde Southerner was still thinking about what Tomoe had remarked and now that an opportunity for something bad had arisen, she knew that the blonde's mind was reeling away and running through countless scenarios. Kaoru wanted to say something to stave back those negative thoughts that were surely impeding Ro's ability to made rational judgement but she silenced herself as she ran over the logistics of the plan of action that Ro had left hanging in the air.

"Let's not risk it," Kaoru finally said as she lowered her bokken slightly and blinked back a stinging sensation in her eyes. "It's not worth it if it's some small _vizinho_ just watching us because it's curious." Ro kept her back to Kaoru but the sound of her relaxing her grasp on her pickaxe's staff was answer enough as the two slowly slumped down on the ground once again, defeated by their own indecisiveness.

"If this rain keeps up like this, we might not make it back before the Long House closes for the dinner shift," Ro said with an annoyed sigh as she glanced over her shoulder at Kaoru. The dark haired female was quiet as she processed her companion's words but chose to keep her response to herself. Ro felt her shoulders sag as she relented and rested the back of her head against the bump of Kaoru's ponytail. "I hear dinner was going to be delicious tonight, too. Potato gruel. Extra chunky."

Kaoru giggled at Ro's attempt to lighten the mood once again and revelled in how the perky blonde was always able to read a situation and try to inject a bit of humour into it despite the fact it was not a laughing matter to be trapped in the forest.

"Our favourite," Kaoru whispered lightly as her tilted her head back to rest her own head against Ro's mane of golden hair that Kaoru secretly envied. Kaoru was unsure as to how much older Ro was, but she knew that her youthful appearance was significantly deceptive. She had estimated that Ro was a good four or five years older than her own twenty years but paid no mind to the slight difference as she relished in the warmth that emitted from the Southern's personality. Two women born into circumstances that were far from their control and trying to survive in a world where survival was key to success lest one be beaten down by the iron hand of Central. They had formed a unique union that Kaoru had never had with another individual—with the exception of Sanosuke—and she found a kindred spirit in Ro.

"Hey, Ro…" Ro stirred slightly in response to let Kaoru know that she was listening. "Do you remember once that you were telling me about the lore and myths of the Southern villages?" Ro's head tilted in acknowledgement that she did recall said instance. The South was much more reliant on folklore and mythology that fuelled a significant amount of their cultural productions and many of their dances, songs, and traditions stemmed from the fact that they shared such an ethereal closeness to the _vizinhos_ and their domain. In comparison, the North maintained a more secular approach to its cultural beliefs and attitudes towards the mythical beasts that skirted around the villages in search of victims and cold revenge against the villagers.

"You want me to tell you more?" Ro inquired in a lazy tone, her long vowels drawn out in a charming way as she slurred a few words as a wave of exhaustion combined with the drippings of heat from their tiny fire reached her body.

"Not exactly—but I guess, do you believe in those stories?"

"Believe is a hard word to use in that context," Ro answered around another yawn as she snuggled close to Kaoru, her pickaxe making a metallic scraping sound against the rock hard ground. "I don't believe in something that I know exists. We know that _vizinhos_ are real—heck, how many have we disposed of since we've started?" Kaoru's brow furrowed at Ro's words but she waited for her friend to continue with her explanation.

"There are the origin myths from the South that are a bit hard to wrap my head around," Ro continued absently as her tone drifted in and out of a dreamy state. "No one knows where the _vizinhos_ came from or when they started to populate the lands we share with them—from what I understand, any records from past eras have little to no mention of them. Then with he campaigns designed to fight against them, there is not a lot of room for investigating where they come from or what they really hard, I suppose. We sort of get caught in this loop and we forget a lot of the finer points of history.

"Do you think the _vizinhos_ are bad, Kaoru?"

"Bad?" Kaoru echoed.

"Bad," Ro repeated softly.

"I don't think anyone is inherently born bad," Kaoru offered by means of explanation. "I think the circumstances we grow up with ultimately influence if we choose to become bad or stray from moral. That's what my father's teachings used to try and relate to anyone who would listen."

"You're not bad and you've had it pretty rough," Ro remarked lightly without going into further details of Kaoru's splotchy past that was stained with misfortunate at every turn. "In fact, you're probably one of the few inherently good people still left in this world. You're a contradiction to your father's teachings in a way, I suppose."

"I don't blame the _vizinhos_ for attacking humans to be honest," Kaoru said quietly as she ran her right hand over the fine wood of her bokken as she idly counted how many seams were apparent in the wooden material. "Look at what we've done to their habitats here in the North because of Central's interests in exploring and exploiting natural resources. They're victimized by the capital's greed just like we are—except we're treated slightly better for being human."

"Systematic discrimination and extermination at its finest," Ro said coarsely as she grit her teeth. The wounds of the Southern campaigns were still occasionally opened on the flesh of her moral, refusing to scar once and for all. Kaoru suffered from a similar situation with regards to the Northern campaigns and how everything had spiralled out of control and she had been cast aside by the state and turned into a tool. Freedom was a commodity and something Central looked to harp on yet she felt the exact opposite and she felt that her freedom was yanked from beneath her feet time and time again.

She also felt an irritating tinkle in her lower bowels and she felt her face morph into one of discomfort.

"Ro… I have to use the bathroom."

"Not in here, you don't," Ro warned as she turned her head to give Kaoru a tired glance. Kaoru glared at her friend but knew that she was right: the smaller overhang was not comfortable enough for her to take care of her very human necessities and the smell would probably be intolerable—thanks to a spotty diet that destroyed many-a-digestive-systems—and she huffed at the realization she would have to go outside. Ro went to rise to her feet as she used her pickaxe to push her from the ground, but Kaoru shook her head and said, "I'll be just a minute—I'm not going far."

"You know, when dogs look at you when they're doing their business, it's a sign of trust that you're watching them when they're most vulnerable," Ro said with a twisted smile as she peered at Kaoru lazily through her blonde bangs, her blue eyes dulled by the flickers of fire light.

"You know to most normal people that's weird, right?" Kaoru countered with a nervous laugh as she set her bokken next to Ro who gave her a baffled look at exiting unarmed. "I'm not going far—I'm just going right next to the rock. I don't think that it's going to be my immediate death."

"Despite what Tomoe has seen?"

"Despite what Tomoe has seen about me," Kaoru replied with a firm nod as she felt the smile fade from her lips. "And if Tomoe is having visions of me using the bathroom… that's just…wrong. Intrusive?" Ro was quiet as she watched as Kaoru tugged her cloak over her to protect her face from the winds and rain that whipped around them as she slowly crept from the overhang and made her way to the side of the rock.

Kaoru took quick stock of the surrounding as she tried to suss out the presence that was lurking in the darkness of the rainfall but blinked quickly when she realized that the presence seemed to have petered out with the winds or had moved on. She grunted heavily as she slowly bent into a squat and tried to balance herself on the slippery and unsteady terrain to take care of her own business, she herself staring into the darkness while exposing herself in the most inappropriate of ways that she knew would get patrollers ambushed. She knew that Ro was also guarding but was at a distinct disadvantage for having to watch Kaoru and their surrounding areas—so, Kaoru made quick work as to not leave her friend unattended too long.

As she was righting herself upward, she froze in place as a shiver ran up her arms and she jerked her head to the left where she felt an odd creeping sensation trickle from between the dark trees. It was a massive rush of spiritual energy—something she had only felt a handful of times in her life—but it was enough to knock her off balance as her blue eyes narrowed as she tried to glimpse between the tendrils of darkness and into the cover of the boreal forest that was coiled around their make-do shelter. A faint glimmer of light blinked between the raindrops that fell down heavily around them and Kaoru felt her teeth grind together as she slowly backed her way towards the entrance of their shelter, bumping into Ro who was standing on guard with her pickaxe poised for combat.

"Ro," Kaoru hissed violently as she felt her blonde friend's free arm reach up and wrap around Kaoru's shoulder. "There's something there."

"I felt it, too," Ro said quietly as her dulled blue eyes narrowed uncomfortably. "Whatever it is, it's much bigger than whatever was creeping around earlier."

"Did you see that light through the trees?"

"Light?" Ro blinked as she mulled over Kaoru's question. "I didn't see anything, no. What, you saw a light? What kind of light?"

"It looked like it could have belonged to a _vizinho_ because it was not the same lights that we have in our ration packs," Kaoru explained hurriedly as she slipped past Ro and wrapped her hand's around her bokken, drawing it close to her shivering body. "I'm not one-hundred percent certain, but whatever was making the light was really close. Maybe fifteen meters away, if I had to guess."

"That's too close for comfort," Ro commented bitterly as she tugged her hood over her blonde hair and red cap, hiding most of her face from Kaoru's as she swung the pickaxe gracefully and shouldered it as she looked over at her dark haired companion. "Should we investigate? We need to have something more to take back to Tae—even if the footprint would be enough, I think."

"I'm alright with having a look—let's put out the fire and get our bags, we might as well try and follow the path back to Route Zed and get out of here," Kaoru agreed heartily as she reached for her discarded messenger bag, sliding it over her shoulder as she prayed that the worn canvas material would hold up against the raging storm outside. The heavy rain was vicious and she knew that she would probably resemble a drowned rat when she reached home—much to Sanosuke's amusement—but she had little desire to have her back pushed against a wall by a vizinho that was searching for easy pickings under the cover of rainy darkness.

"You want to try and walk Route Zed in this weather?"

"Once we're back on the path it's not too bad until the very end when it's the downhill descent towards Tereré," Kaoru reminded her. "The hardest part is going to be getting back to the Route—the light I saw is from the same direction that we came in." Ro gave her an incredulous look but smashed her hand on the top of her red cap and pushed it down further as she tilted her head in tired agreement with her partner.

"You lead the way, I'll bring up the rear," Ro finally settled for as she stamped out their pathetic fire and plunged them into almost pitch darkness. "Shame we don't have any torches—they would have come in handy at this point. Damned oil rations." Kaoru ignored her friend's grumblings about the lack of supplies for the patrollers as she impatiently waited for Ro to sling her back over her shoulder before the two of them exited the overhang and sturdied themselves against the pelting rain and the wind that threatened to rip through to their inner-most core. The chilling atmosphere that hung in the air like a heavy blanket did little to rectify the situation but Kaoru brandished her bokken before as she took the immediate lead and pushed forward with Ro a mere half meter behind her as they worked their way back through the undergrowth.

"I saw the light around here," Kaoru called back to Ro over the whistling wind and she saw that Ro was moving her head around in various directions as she grasped her massive weapon while trying to pick her way over the scattered roots and stray plants that posed obstacles. The mossy surface was already difficult to traverse in decent conditions and even Kaoru felt her balance give out a few times as they made their way over the dangerous surface. The trees that rose way above their heads shadowed them and they had little light to move by as the relied on their instincts and other senses that were severely handicapped by the unfavourable conditions but Kaoru bore through the harsh terrain as her boots slapped against the ground.

"Kaoru!" Ro's voice called hurriedly and Kaoru pivoted around, her foot catching on a stone but she was able to right herself as she saw caught a glimpse of Ro's face frozen in a mix of fear and confusion. She trailed her gaze in the direction that Ro was staring and she found herself looking at a bizarre soft yellow light that seemed to be suspended from a branch. It was hung a good two meters above their heads and the light was a soft glow that seemed to be impervious to the rain that threatened to extinguish normal flames. That already clued Kaoru into the fact that it was already something supernatural and she closed the gap between herself and Ro as she reached out to touch her companion's shoulder.

"Is that what you saw?"

"I think so," Kaoru whispered through her chattering teeth as she glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were not about to be ambushed from behind.

"Wanna have a look?"

"We have to, right?" Ro gave her an uncomfortable look: the Southerner had always had a very mistrustful relationship with the rain that fell in the North and she knew that Ro was fighting outside her element. Despite her having learned how to fight and engage with vizinhos in the North, Ro was truly most comfortable on dry land and terrain that was sunny and well lit. Her eyes were never quite adjusted to the darkness compared to Sanosuke or Kaoru's vision and it had been one of her few handicaps as she made her way through the patrol routes. That hesitance with the climate conditions had almost made Aoshi reject her from joining the patrolling divisions but Ro had bit back and said that she was able to work with it if given the time. Aoshi had allowed her to continue her training but he had made sure that the Southerner was exposed to the worst conditions in order to acclimate herself to the harsh Northern weather.

Ro and Kaoru slowly moved forward as they felt the terrain crumble beneath their feet, their weapons and tools jostling against their soaking bodies as they drew closer to the light. They found themselves on a steady incline and just beyond the tree was a sharp drop that would not be pleasant if one misstep were to happen. Kaoru felt Ro nearly slip again but did not try to right her friend this time as the blonde managed to regain her footing with a curse over the heavy rain that fell cruelly around them. They stopped beneath the tree as they looked up at the soft golden light that seemed to be held to the branch with a secured rope that swung in the wind.

"What is that?"

"No idea," Kaoru answered breathily as she studied the light with a critical eye. It did not seem to radiate any sort of malicious energy and it was seemingly innocent enough. She knew that touching anything belonging to the vizinhos was taboo and forbidden lest she wished a potential cursing upon her, but her curiosity to get a closer look to understand how the flame was still alight in the rainstorm was getting the better of her rational thought.

"It's being kept with magic," Ro remarked as she glanced around once again to scan their surroundings to see if its owner was in the vicinity. Her blue eyes narrowed as she tried to sort out the shadows of the trees from anything that was not a part of the natural landscape and she clicked her tongue in mild annoyance at her lack of exposure to such dark conditions.

"Do you think we should touch it?"

"You know the rules about that," Ro said briskly as she fiddled with her pickaxe nervously at the mere suggestion of touching something that was not of the human world.

"But we've never seen anything like this before—and you know Aoshi and Tae require us to have as much documented from our patrols as possible," Kaoru rebuked as she pointed up at the light that was hanging above their covered heads. "If we're quick, we can get back to Route Zed and back to Tereré." Ro's brow creased at Kaoru's reasoning as she heaved a heavy sigh of defeat before shrugging and looking back up at the light herself.

"Can you use your axe to lower it to the ground?" Kaoru asked quickly as she watched as Ro lifted her weapon, seeming to muster the reserves of strength she was using to fight off the chilly cold from the storm that passed over them, and she watched as the blonde rose onto one foot, pushing herself upwards with the pick end of her axe trying to snap the rope that held the light above them. With a precise movement of her arm, demonstrating her massive upper body strength to be able to wield such a tool with one arm, she sliced through the rope and watched as Kaoru waited below to intercept its fall, her hands outreached with her bokken cradled in the crux of her elbow.

Kaoru felt the warmth wash over her body as a sweet smell of ginger and forest wood invaded her nose as she accepted the light into her hands, feeling it trapped it a glass light enclosure that both women had failed to see before. The scent of the lamp was curious as she brought it closer to her face to investigate, her eyes glimmering in the light that gently flitted within the confines of the glass box. Ro had already assumed a defensive stance as Kaoru began to examine the light box object and she waited nervously for her companion to begin rattling off details.

"It's a golden yellow colour that seems to be able to withstand the elements and it does not go out when exposed to liquid," Kaoru began to describe in detail so that Ro would also commit it to memory. "The light is encased within a glass light apparatus that was suspended from a branch with a hand made rope that was easy to cut—signifying the that material was not strong enough to withstand forceful blows. The glass is smooth and does not seem to be made of the same materials as the glass produced in Tereré.

"The light is warm but it does not burn," Kaoru continued as she studied the object with immense curiosity as to understanding how it worked. "It also does not seem to have a source like a wick—it burns independent of any external parts. There is a slight scent to it as well—ginger, mostly." She blinked as she lowered the apparatus from her face and looked over at Ro who was making a mental log of each detail that spilled from Kaoru's mouth.

"Let's head back," Kaoru relented as she noticed the relief that washed over the blonde's face.

"What are you going to do with that?" Ro asked pointedly as she jerked her head at the light box that Kaoru was grasping. "We can't take it with us." Kaoru gave her friend a knowing look as she knew that removing things from the forest was forbidden unless they were part of the resources divisions that worked exclusively in removing certain materials from the confines of the forest. There was a part of Kaoru that wanted to take the light box with her to offer them some form of illumination until they crested the hill that would let them see Tereré below them but she knew that it was problematic if they breached protocol.

"Kaoru." Ro's voice was stern as she peered at her friend from beneath the hood's hemming.

"We need light, Ro," Kaoru said slowly as she turned the light box around in her hands. "There's nothing evil or malicious coming from the light box—shouldn't we take it with us? At least until we get to the hill?" Ro's face was wrought with horror at the thought of breaking the number one rule for the patrolling division and she knew that a serious verbal lashing and demerits would fall upon them if their superiors were to discover they had disturbed something that was clearly not from their village. They were cold, wet, miserable, and their guard was at an all time high as they felt the forest begin to dig deep into their moral as well as the rationality.

"We don't know where this came from or if it's a trap," Ro reasoned quietly as she tightened her grasp on her weapon. "I don't want to risk it, Kaoru—not now. Isn't it enough that we've seen the light? We have information we can transmit to Tae and that's it. I can't risk losing this job because we broke the rules they have for some reason, you know?" Ro's face was sobering as she tightened her mouth into a pert frown as her eyes glassed over. "Besides, there's still something watching from the trees—I just felt a spike in spiritual energy and it did not seem to be very happy with us messing around with the light."

Kaoru felt her head list slightly at Ro's words but she bit her lip as she glanced around as to where she could deposit the light so that its owner could rightfully reclaim it. She found a small hollow at the base of a tree where she decided it would be suitable enough and she tucked the light box inside, making sure it was more or less protected from the elements around them. She heard a faint rustling behind her as Ro slid into another position and Kaoru immediately shot to her feet when she was it was an offensive position as Ro's pickaxe's pick side was facing towards the darkness.

"It's coming," Ro managed to mutter as she braced herself against her weapon before something emerged from the shadows and took a heavy step towards them. Ro's blue eyes were focused as Kaoru slid into her own offensive stance as they realized that the creature was massive and towered over them easily—sharp claws protruding from its digits and large fangs that seemed to poke out from its drooling mouth. "Fuck!" Ro spat as she tcked loudly and raised her pickaxe above her head before bringing it down to the ground to create a warning to the _vizinho_ that it should not approach them. The great beast did not heed her warning and Kaoru tensed as she diverted from Ro's side and flanked the beast as it fixed its heavy gaze on Ro's form and her stupidly oversized weapon. She knew that she needed to give the blonde space to be able to work her trade and Kaoru needed to be within striking distance to be effectively.

With an over practiced swing from her bokken, Kaoru managed to strike the beast heavily on the shoulder with the intention to cause damage to the muscles there to hinder its movement. She pivoted around on one foot, mindful that she was working on horrible surfacing, and she returned the blow to the same spot, the weapon making a horrid cracking noise as the force behind the blow hit heavy muscle. Kaoru grit her teeth once again as she took a hop backwards and swung around, arcing the bokken as she hit a bit lower to ensure that the muscles were being impacted properly as she thrust her own force into each hit to ensure that it delivered significant damage to the shadowy beast the colour of ink.

"Ro!" Kaoru screamed into the night as she watched the blonde trying to analyze the movements of the beast, seemingly shocked for a split second before she swung her axe around in a counter-clockwise movement that tore into the flesh of the beast, provoking a great yelp and scream from its fanged mouth. Ro managed to roll out of the way in time, her cloak catching on a low branch and halting her free movement as she gnashed her teeth and tried to free herself. Ro's grasp on her axe was significantly looser as she tried to distract herself with trying to un-snag herself from the tree, and she was left in an exposed position that would give the beast free range to strike.

Kaoru let out a string of curses as she approached the beast that was writhing around in pain from the flesh wound that Ro had managed to inflict on its front leg and she raised her bokken above her head as she took a crack at trying to damage its back legs. The beast let out another yelp in protest as it hissed wildly, crimson red eyes flashing with a primal rage that Kaoru had never seen before. The beast was massive and it was heavy, making it a much tougher opponent that the smaller creatures that inhabited the forest and caused mayhem on the Routes. Kaoru steeled her nerve once more as she ducked down to avoid a flying clawed paw, barely missing it by mere centimetres as she felt the hood of her cloak be brushed by the sharp weapons of the _vizinho._

"Kaoru!" Ro's voice echoed through the trees as the blonde had managed to free herself while the beast was flailing about and reacting to Kaoru's blows. Kaoru heard an angry inhuman scream as she caught a flash of Ro's axe being dropped down from where she had hoisted it as it made contact with the beast's chest. Without seeing where her partner was sprawled out on the ground, Ro had mistakenly struck the beast in a delicate area that threatened to send it reeling as the beast lashed out, stamping on Kaoru's leg. Kaoru cried out in pain as a red hot flash of pain surged through her body as the sharp claws dug into the soft flesh of her thigh and she felt her vision go white momentarily as the pain caught up with her brain.

Unable to call out to her partner, she heard another cracking sound as it appeared that Ro managed to bring down the flat part of the pickaxe head onto the skull of the beast in the attempts to stun it. Kaoru could only make out the figure of the beast as it started to fall backwards, not only threatening to crush her but also shred her flesh as its clawed paws flew indiscriminately through the air. Kaoru heaved a sigh as she exhaled through the pain and closed her eyes as she tried to muster up the strength to roll out of the way. Her body was unresponsive, too shocked by the claws that had dug into her tender legs and the brute force of the ripping of lovely flesh that was her own. She had, had her fair share of injuries that were always superficial but she felt as though her entire body was paralyzed as she tried to summon the will power to move out of the way of the falling body.

Another heavy scream pierced through the air as she felt a hot explosion burst over head and she heard Ro's voice cursing out a string of select words that made even the sailor merchants blush. A white stream of light exploded before her eyes as it made contact with the beast, nearly ripping it apart as the beam of light burst into an intense heat that incinerated the creature on impact. The body seemed to dissolve into nothing as chunks of flesh, muscle, and rage seemed to dissipate in the air before the light faded into nothingness. It was a moment of true mystery to Kaoru as she heard Ro's screaming and the sound of footsteps approaching her in a hurried flurry of sounds and vibrations.

"Kaoru!" Ro's voice was shrill as she looked down at Kaoru's leg and down at her companion's face. Kaoru was sentient and breathing as her chest rose and fell beneath her cloak. She only felt the tears hitting her face as Ro moved quickly to unravel the roll of bandages to try and stop the bleeding from Kaoru's leg, apologizing profusely as she screamed between curses and her own carelessness. Kaoru was quiet as her friend tightly secured the bandages around her leg, Ro insisting that the wounds were not that bad and it was just the initial shock of being attacked that left Kaoru in such a ragged state.

"I-I'm okay, I-I think," Kaoru managed to stutter as she felt Ro try to prop her up. "I'm j-just in shock." Ro nodded vigorously as her tears were shining in the wells of her eyes as she shook Kaoru to prove to herself that her friend was still alive.

"Ro?"

"W-what?"

"What was that light?" Kaoru asked as she felt the same burst of light cross her vision once again and she blinked haggardly, her eyelids tired. Ro shook her head as she did not know the answer or where it had even come from. It was something that had caught both patrollers off guard and it was not a comfortable sensation that something with that sort of ability was wandering around the forest and in close proximity to them. The light had been intense and extremely hot as it seemed to melt the creature's flesh into nothing and Kaoru knew that it was stupid luck that she was crouched far enough on the ground to avoid being hit in the blast.

"But whatever it was… it destroyed my axe," Ro said with a note of finality. She had the weapon sloppily strapped to her back and she grimaced as Kaoru tried to reach up to touch her axe. The staff was partially melted and the pick end of the head was destroyed completely, leaving it to be useless. Kaoru could still feel how warm the metal was between her fingers and she grimaced as she realized that whatever had emitted that beam of lethal light was just as likely a threat to them as the great beast was and she felt her anxiety dip dangerously in her lower gut as her body and mind hollered at her to put distance between itself and the forest.

"Where's my _bokken_?" Kaoru rasped.

"I don't know, it should be around here," Ro murmured as she scanned the grounds around them and spotted her friend's weapon discarded a few meters away. She abandoned Kaoru momentarily as she went to retrieve it, looking at the weapon as she investigated it for any damage. Surprisingly, it was still in working condition and it had limited damage done to the tightly polished wood. Ro brought it back over to Kaoru who accepted it into her arms, wrapping herself around it as she winced as her leg moved uncomfortably.

"Now what?" Kaoru asked as she swallowed the urge to vomit.

"Can you walk?" Kaoru shrugged as she supported herself against Ro and allowed herself to push herself up to her feet, shaking violently as she felt her legs trembling like those of a new born foal. Her injured leg had been wrapped sufficiently but it would slow their progress and she knew that calling for help being so deep on the Route Zed was useless given it was such an isolated part of the route. Walking seemed to be their only option although she knew she was probably causing more damage to the injuries that she had obtained in the confrontation.

"We'll take it slow," Ro said quietly as she allowed Kaoru to support herself on her shoulder as they leaned against each other. Their cloaks were now coated in a layer of mud that would cake together upon drying and their clothes underneath were sopping wet to the point it was uncomfortable. They knew they had to make a quick escape but with only half of Route Zed covered, both women knew that they had at least another four hours on the trail if they were uninterrupted.

As they slowly angled their bodies, Ro being especially mindful of Kaoru's leg, to cover the distance between the thick flora and undergrowth that threatened to drag them down, Kaoru's mind seemed to shift to another place. The great beam of light that had ripped through the air with no warning nor signs of origins disturbed her as she had never seen it before. Her analytical mind was cranking into overdrive as she pondered the plausible scenarios: she had been close enough to feel the heat and she had watched how it had incinerated the beast that had nearly toppled on top of her. The beam was obviously destructive in nature and she was left questioning if it was an offensive mechanism or one used for defensive purposes. Her mind was taking a twist of tangents as she tried to recall anything of the sort from their training for the patrol routes but she was drawing constant blanks.

The four and a half hours it took them to reach the crest in the hill that overlooked Tereré were quiet and seemingly uneventful as they exchanged minimum conversation, the rain beating down on them and the wind wearing down their bones. Ro and Karol took a momentarily rest on the top of the hill that opened to the industrial village that both called home as their blue eyes took in the blinking lights of the fires that burned from behind curtains in private homes. They had always welcomed the view as they knew that the fires within the house meant that life was still flourishing and the home still had a heartbeat. Kaoru could spot her ramshackle house shared with Sanosuke and she also saw that Ro's house still had a weak fire in its hearth.

"We're home," Ro murmured as she sunk to her knees, her hands furling into fists in the grass as her blonde hair cascaded around her. Kaoru remained standing as she favoured her uninjured leg and she ripped the hood from her head and looked down on the village once again. Her eyes were tired, red rimmed, and her body was filthy and hurt. She longed to be within the confines of her bed, wrapped in her mother's blankets—one of the last things left to her—and she wished for the day to be over. She knew a quick trip to the medical centre was required and perhaps she could get a medical slip to take a sick day to let her leg rest easily before she was sent out again. In their line of work, as she grimaced, she knew that her type of injury was considered light and would not necessitate a day off but she wanted to assure herself that she gave it a fair chance despite the dock in her pay.

As the two female patrollers made their way into the Long House to drop of their gear, they were met with sneers and curious glances. Kaoru's weapon had managed to escape significant damage but people awed at the state of Ro's pickaxe. As Tae grunted upon receiving the oversized axe, she held it up for inspection before looking at its wielder whose tired blue eyes seemed to scream that she wanted to rest. Shrugging her shoulders, Ro said that she would like a cup of tea before the debriefing and she pointed at Kaoru's leg while saying, "I'll take care of the debriefing, she needs to see a doctor."

"Of course," Tae said with a hesitant nod as she accepted Kaoru's equipment and passed over the scroll for her to sign in acknowledgement that they had received her equipment.

"Ro, are you sure?"

"It's fine," Ro said shortly as she refused to meet Kaoru's glance, her blonde hair obscuring her profile from Kaoru's view. "Go to the doctor—I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?" Kaoru nodded and waved a silent goodbye to Tae as she stole another glance at Ro. The blonde Southerner still had her back to Kaoru and she knew that Ro was weaving together a tale that would justify why her weapon was being returned in such a poor state. Bracing herself, she pushed her way through the Long House, squeezing by a few other individuals whose stares were fixated on the only two female patrollers, and she slipped through the door and turned herself towards the medical brigade to see to her leg and patch her up accordingly.

* * *

"Now, you want to run that by me one more time?" Sanosuke grunted as he ladled a portion of his own interpretation of vegetable stew into a bowl before setting it down in front of Kaoru. After being received and stitched up in the medical brigade's facilities, she had hobbled home uncomfortably and was intercepted by Sanosuke at the front door who had been watching the clock when he realized that she had nearly left the house twelve hours ago. He had ripped the cloak off of her and ordered her to go up to shower, his eyes catching the recently stitched wound, and he said he would warm some clothes for her by the fire as well as re-heat the soup he had thrown together.

"Ro's weapon was melted in some parts by this huge beam of light," Kaoru said around a massive chunk of soggy potato. "It also destroyed the _vizinho_ that we were trying to kill." She was swaddled in the warmest pyjamas that she had as well as one of Sanosuke's shirts that he had lent her without too much fanfare. They were sitting at their tiny kitchen table as Kaoru rehashed what she had experienced and saw and she did not omit details as she told him about the strange light box and the weird spikes in spiritual energy.

"Route Zed isn't really known for that sort of incident," Sanosuke said neutrally as he crossed his arms and stared at Kaoru. Her back was to the fire, ensuring that she was truly warming up and she gave him a stern look as though he were questioning her knowledge of the routes. Kaoru's face was a healthy pink and her long hair was freshly washed—a massive improvement as far as she was concerned—and she seemed to be content with swallowing Sano's questionable soup as it warmed her stomach pleasantly.

"Have you ever heard about things like that though?" Kaoru questioned as she reached for the glass of water to help push down the thicker pieces of potato.

"Light beams coming out of nowhere? No," Sanosuke replied tersely as his dark eyes stared down at the smaller female as though he were trying to poke holes in her retelling of that day's incidents. "We don't have that sort of technology—at least as far as I'm aware. Sounds like maybe another creature took pity on you and Ro."

"Another creature?"

"It's obviously not a human doing that," Sanosuke said with a note of impatience. "I know that thought crossed your mind. Only thing I can think of is maybe a rogue sympathizer took pity on you and wanted to give you a fighting chance." Kaoru fell silent as she contemplated his words in the privacy of her own mind, she herself trying to conjure up the image of a sympathizer. She had never met one before nor knew of any existing in the North in this era—Central's campaigns ensuring that they were wiped out—yet she knew that there was still a vague possibility if that was the only slightly plausible explanation.

"As for the light box that you guys found, well, the fact you two touched it is bad," Sanosuke grunted as he gave Kaoru a pointed look that transmitted a mix of emotions that she was incapable of deciphering. "It has your scent on it now—that's never good. Its owner can track you. That's a lose-lose situation for you depending on who the owner is. Hope it's a nice one, Missy."

"Ro didn't touch it."

"Just _you_?"

"Just me."

"Gods, Kaoru," Sanosuke grumbled as his eyebrows furrowed as he ran a hand through his dark hair and gave her a suffered look. "That's drilled in to you from day one: don't touch things you find in the forest. How could you just go and do that? Thought you were smarter than that." Kaoru was quiet as she sipped the broth of the potato-heavy soup and she peered at Sanosuke over the rim of the bowl, her blue eyes storming.

"And you wouldn't have touched it?"

"No way in hell," Sanosuke grunted. "Not in the situation that you two were in. Off of Route Zed, raining, near-zero visibility, low on rations—knowing that there was a creeper waiting in the dark? Even I'm not that stupid. Reckless, yes, stupid— _no_." He folded his muscular arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair, the seat rising on two feet as he tilted his head at her.

"And what did you do with the light box?"

"I left it in a tree hollow," Kaoru answered as she rested her chin on her hands as she abandoned her bowl of soup momentarily.

"Not exactly where you found it?"

"We had cut the rope with Ro's axe," Kaoru admitted sheepishly and she watched as Sanosuke's face blanked of all emotions as he ran another hand through his hair—his nervous tick—and he rose to his feet. Slinking to the kitchen, he reached into the cupboard and yanked out a thick brown bottle and Kaoru knew that it was his stash of alcohol that he only took to when he had, had an extremely taxing day and needed something to sooth his nerves. Taking a massive swig of the noxious substance, Kaoru watched as the liquid slid down his throat as he corked it again and replaced it in its designated spot.

"Well, we might have to set up the house in that case," Sanosuke grumbled as he looked at Kaoru with a burning sense of annoyance. Since they had begin to work together in the same circles, he knew that Kaoru was a capable patroller and was meticulous in the majority of her designated tasks. She very rarely had lapses in judgement and she was extremely well-versed in most things but there were instances where he questioned her motives. The first time she had to kill a _vizinho_ , she had lamented her actions and swore off that part on the job. There were other instances where she would attempt to stray a bit further from the path if she saw something that sparked her interest and it was usually Sanosuke or another partner who had to correct her behaviour if there was no mutual deviation decided upon between the pair.

"Do you really think they'd come into the village with the intention of hurting me?" Kaoru asked slightly.

"If they're angry enough with you for messing around with their stuff, yeah," Sanosuke answered as he leaned against the counter and took a mental count of the supplies that they needed. "If we move fast, we can have it done in two hours—Missy, you've really just put us in a nasty spot if the _vizinho_ is not an easy-going one. They're aware that they have a right to seek you out for touching their objects—they also know that it's illegal for us to touch their stuff, too."

"I know that, Sano," Kaoru snapped hotly as she sent him a heavy look.

"Why did you touch it?"

"I…" Kaoru trailed off as she tried to answer his inquiry. Even she did not know why she was drawn to the object yet she had felt a burning need to touch it and examine it. Curiosity was no longer a valid excuse because it carried too heavy a price to be curious in this age. Curiosity in their society was sticking a fork in an outlet or seeing how long they could last in the brutal weather conditions donning only their inside clothing. Curiosity was often associated with a child-like stupidity that often brought a laugh at the expense of others. In this case, as Kaoru realized, no one was laughing and she could not write it off as a childish whim she had indulged for the sake of her own nonsensical behaviour.

"I don't know," She finally answered. "I really don't."

" _Kaoru,_ " Sanosuke hissed as his face morphed into one of disbelief at the lack of at least a bare attempt to justify her behavour. The older male gave her another miserable look but sighed as he released his grip on the counter and pushed himself away from the kitchen and slowly meandered towards the cramped living room and the worn wooden cupboard where they stored various objects.

"What do we need to set up the measures around the house?" Sanosuke questioned as he turned back to look over his shoulder at the blue eyed girl who was mulling over her own thoughts.

"We need two green beeswax candles to put in the front window or the window that's closest to the forest," Kaoru stated as her mind slipped back to the training days where they were required to learn a myriad of preventative techniques to ward off the creatures of the forest. "We also need to place a circle of flour at the front door—roughly two meters in diameter—and write the incantation. Then… erm… we have to hang a leaf of star anise from the highest point in the house as well as burn incense."

"See? You knew all that," Sanosuke growled as he reached into the cupboard and wrapped his arms around a small chest that they had kept for these types of scenarios. The chest was not large by any means but it housed the materials needed to fend off the curious eyes of the vizinhos that prowled through the village. Most of the time the creatures would slink through the village and the villagers would huddle inside their houses until day light broke through the clouds and the creatures would retreat to the safety of the forest.

Sanosuke tossed Kaoru the candles, dusty from years of going untouched, as well as the sack that held the leaves of star anise. She caught them easily as she set them on the table, making space for them as she knew that she was assigned to tend to these certain parts of the ritual, and she watched as Sanosuke lumbered over to the doorway with a sack of flour under his arm. He crouched down and began to unfurl the folded sack of flour, his hands dipping inside the bag as he began to sprinkle flour over the recently cleaned floors that Kaoru had slaved over. He started to form the shape of a large circle, his dark eyes concentrated on the exact dimensions that they had been taught during training.

Kaoru herself busied with preparing the candles as she dusted off the fine film that they had accumulated and she reached for the matchbox that she and Sanosuke kept near the table. Sliding a match out from the box, she struck it harshly against the worn starter and revelled as the flame danced momentarily on the match before she brought it to the wick and allowed it to gracefully transfer to the candle. Repeating the motion with the other candle, she pushed herself up from the table and wobbled her way over to the window that faced the mountains. Glimpsing through the glass momentarily before setting the candles down onto some spare teacup saucers they never used, she sighed as she realized that she had added another layer of problems to an already difficult situation. She knew that Sanosuke's anger would fade by the next morning but the lingering guilt of having complicated things more remained prevalent in her heart and it pained her.

"Sano, what's the highest point in the house?" She asked as she turned around to see that Sanosuke had advanced nicely on his flour circle and had crafted the perfect design required to fend off vizinhos if tradition had any say in the activities.

"Probably your room or mine," He replied. "I think your room is slightly higher than mine because of the way the house slopes."

"I'm going to go hang the star anise then," She said with a determined look to comply with her part of the assigned tasks. "Afterwards, I'll help you finish up down here." Sanosuke nodded lightly as he continued to work on the flour circle, his fingers scribbling the words of the incantation into one of the rings of the circle. His handwriting, as Kaoru noted, was as messy as ever but she could make out the words to the incantation that they had learned to sing as children in their play-games and had firmly committed to their memories.

She climbed the rickety stairs, the sack of star anise clutched between her hands, and she moved delicately through the hallway that was barely alight. The electricity in Tereré was always significantly weaker because the grid was periodically at the point of collapsing due to the overuse, and the current was enough to power a hot water boiler as well as the oven if they were careful. The lightbulb swung from its holder in the hallway and created a ballet of shadows across the wall as she crept into her room.

Moving towards the window, she wedged her fingers beneath the knot and gave it a firm tug as she opened the sack and was assaulted by the strong scent of anise that burned her nose. Kaoru made a face as she fished out a leaf of the pungent plant and glanced around her room to look for something to fasten it with. She had a wide variety of hair ribbons lying near her mirror and she reached for the thinnest one that no longer was able to maintain the weight of her ponytail. She strung up the leaf and deftly tied the other end of the hair ribbon to a random nail that protruded from the wall. Stepping back to inspect her work, she approved of the quick improvisation before whisking herself away down the stairs once more.

"We're running low on incense," Sanosuke commented as he pointed at the small box where they stored the incense.

"I have the day off tomorrow, so I'll see if I can get some," Kaoru said as she brushed past Sanosuke, the stitches pulling slightly on her leg and she settled herself onto the sofa in front of their measly fireplace. Sanosuke, much to her delight, had fulfilled her request to bring in more wood for burning and he had been able to keep the fire going throughout the day. She knew that it was a mere task for many in the South, but the Northerners depended on the fire to keep themselves warm through the days and nights of isolating frigidness.

"That should do it," Sanosuke coughed as he lit the incense and left it in a crudely crafted holder on the table.

"Did you write it properly?" Kaoru asked and Sanosuke gave her an accusatory look. Kaoru had gotten further in her education than Sanosuke had and she knew that from time to time he would consult her about certain wordings or other nuances on government issued documents they were required to read and sign. He was able to read and write to a certain level but there were things that escaped him and he tried to remedy it by reading the newspaper but tended to gravity to the articles with pictures as opposed to the more wordy ones.

" _What will you give me to know his name?_ " Sanosuke began to recite the incantation that, he too, had been exposed to as a mere child from a village even further set in the North.

" _To know his name,"_ Kaoru continued as she slouched deeper into the sofa's sinking cushions.

 _"I will get you a paper hat to know his name,_ " Sanosuke said as he rose to his feet, brushing his hands of the loose flour that stuck to his skin. His voice was rough as he ran over the words in his head, watching Kaoru intently.

 _"To know his name,"_ Kaoru joined in as she made a space for Sanosuke on the sofa, watching as he sank into the cushions as his limbs spread out, his long legs splayed here and about. His eyes were tired, his hair dull and his face with deeply set lines. The environment they lived in as well as their profession aged them significantly and he seemed much older than his twenty six years. Kaoru, too, felt that her face was much wiser than her actual chronological name let on. She knew that she had faired well up until this point in her life and she was eternally aware that she had been running on luck and her own wit to have lived this long given the hand she had been dealt.

 _"That is not enough to make me say his name,"_ They said together, their voices melding together as they felt the end of the incantation approaching. Kaoru's eyes misted over slightly as the words ran through the mill of her memory, the words bringing about images of a much happier childhood before the campaigning had destroyed what little she had, had in her youth.

 _"To make me say his name,"_ Kaoru finished as Sanosuke's voice trailed off, he himself seeming to be caught in the web of nostalgia that was slowly choking Kaoru's heart. They sat in silence as they let the words linger in the air before Kaoru stirred enough to break his trance-like state. The words of the child-like song turned repelling incantation were simple enough yet they impacted each listener's heart a different way.

"I haven't had to say that in a long time," Sanosuke mused as he tightened his sweater around him and closed his eyes as he leaned his head against the sofa's cushions. "Must have been twenty years or so? You never forget things like that."

"No, you don't," Kaoru agreed.

The two opted to remain seated in their silence a bit more as the flickers of the candle and the smell of incense lulled them into a dreamless sleep that was welcomed by the weary patrollers who had seen too many horrors in this life time.

* * *

A/N: There's the second chapter! Don't worry, we will be introducing other characters starting in chapter III. I needed to set the stage and get a bit of the lore going before I could bring the others into the mess. This was a fun chapter to write although action scenes are quite difficult to write, I think. Anyway, the incantation that Sanosuke and Kaoru say at the end are the lyrics to an old Irish song called "Cé a chuirfidh tú liom" and it's usually sung in a question/response format. I picked out a bit of the song's lyrics but the full version is on Youtube and translated.

And as always, I don't own any of the characters, I just exploit them for my own fun purposes.

I also wanted to thank everyone for their reviews! They really brightened my day. Please enjoy this extra fat chapter and see you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter III

Awaken

"May your journey overflow with darkness and light."

* * *

Her muscles in her shoulders protested angrily as she groaned, her hair falling against her face as it had freed itself from the ponytail she had pulled it into during the night. She was resting against a plain of hard muscle, Sanosuke as she knew, and her eyes begged to be pried open despite the fact her body pleaded for her to continue slumbering. Kaoru groaned again through cracked lips as she slowly opened her blue eyes and found herself leaning against Sanosuke who had a protective fraternal arm thrown around her shoulders. The room was nearly dark, the fireplace nearly extinguished as it had burned through the wood from the previous evening.

Slowly working herself from her companion's iron-like embrace, she moved quietly from the sofa to tend to the fire. Reaching into the replenished stash of wood that Sanosuke had brought in, she selected a few choice pieces of wood that were thrown into the fireplace. Reaching for the poker she used daily, she stoked the fires and watched as the flames grew and licked the logs and sticks greedily as their hunger roared up. Kaoru smiled slightly to herself as replaced the poker in its resting place and moved around the slumbering form of Sanosuke.

Moving up the stairs of their tiny home, she caught the scent of the bag of star anise leaves that she had accidentally left open in her bedroom and she crinkled her nose in displeasure. The smell was very strong and not to her liking—she herself opting for softer scents—and she closed the sack, sealing it tightly with a well practiced knot.

"I want a shower," She mused to herself as she shed her clothing and reached for a fresh set of clothes that had been washed earlier that week. She inspected her garments for any apparent holes and was satisfied that they were still able to be put to good use. She felt her hair cascade against her back as she peered through the window and saw that it was still nighttime—she estimated it to be four or five hours until their version of daybreak—and she realized that she had taken a comfortable nap as opposed to a full rest.

She shut off the light in her room, the pitch black a familiar friend to her, and she padded her way to the bathroom where she shut herself into the even tighter bathroom. Discarding her clean clothes into the sink, she reached into the wooden shower block that she and Sanosuke had built within their first year of occupying the house, and pulled the lever that would warm the water so that her shower was tolerable as opposed to an icy bath. Kaoru ran her fingers through her hair as she pulled it up into a tight knot, opting not to wash it this time, and she checked her reflection in the reflecting glass to ensure no loose strands would get caught and soaked in the impromptu shower.

Kaoru then stepped into the tiny washing space, the water barely warm but better than nothing, and she let the water stream over her body in a relaxing rhythm that snuck through the crevices of her body. A poor diet that was deficient in protein and other minerals ensured that people from Tereré were significantly smaller than other villages further to the South and she knew that it would reap its consequences later on. She ran her hands over her hips, wincing at the bones that poked at her skin, and ran her hands down her thighs. Her wound from the creature the previous day was still stitched up and she was mindful to keep it from getting wet.

Lathering up some lye soap that she had scented herself from plants she had gathered in the warmer season, Kaoru cleansed her body once more as she let the water trickle down and the soap clean her tired body. It was an cathartic experience for her as she still felt the grime from the previous day's encounter clinging to her body despite the fact she had scrubbed her skin raw. She still felt the lingering presence on her body and it saddened her to a slight degree as she huffed heavily, shutting off the water as the last few drops trickled out. Her hand snaked out and snagged the worn towel that had seen better eras as she wove it around her body and stepped onto the cool floor, shivering as the cold tile made contact with the soles of her tiny feet.

She quickly dried herself and pulled on the clothes she had brought to the bathroom, making quick work to ensure the chilled air did not hit her skin excessively and she wrapped the towel around her shoulders as she abandoned the bathroom. Slowing moving across the hall to her own room, she tossed the towel onto her bed as she reached into the antiqued wardrobe and fished out a pair of knit socks that she had retired to wearing around the house as opposed to stomping through the forest. Delicately pulling them onto her feet, she hissed as she strained her lightly stitched wound but snapped the socks on deftly, her feet thankful for the scratchy wool that promised immense warmth.

Flicking off the dim light in her room, she crawled her way down the stairs once more and passed by the slumbering form of Sanosuke that had sprawled out further on their worn sofa. With a tepid look to her azure eyes, she glanced quickly at the instruments that they had set up to fend off any potential vizinhos from visiting their house in an act of revenge. She was pleased to see that the circle of flour remained undisturbed and that Sanosuke's scrawling chicken-scratch still decorated the bizarre ritualistic circle they had been drilled to craft. The incense had long since burned out but she still could scent it on the air and the two green candles had burned into nothing, leaving a waxy residue on the tea cup saucers she had set them out on.

Kaoru's eyes were half lidded as she groaned inwardly at the annoyance of having to scrub the wax from the dishes at some point the following day. She knew that as long as night was still upon them she had to burn the candles and she slowly circled around to the kitchen table and reached for two smaller green candles that she calculated would last them until daybreak. She struck a match once again, the flame dancing erratically, and lit the two smaller candles as she made quick work of depositing them into the waxy remains of the first ones that she had lit.

Leaning back from the window, she stared out through the glass that gave them a plain view of the mountain and forest that she had been patrolling mere hours earlier. Kaoru's back stiffened as a flash of memory of the great beast about to topple upon her darted in front of her eyes and she grasped at her arms as she tried to ground herself. It was an image that would not vanish from her mind completely—at least for a while, she mused—and it was one of the few times that she truly felt fear for her life while out on patrol. The fact that the beast had nearly crushed her to death and that she had been saved by a bizarre beam of light that originated from who-knows-where and obliterated the creature into nothing sat heavily in her stomach.

Kaoru had always been one who enjoyed having a reasonable explanation and a well charted route from point A to B without too much confusion or details. She had never been one to complicate her routines and she was often reliable because she was mostly consistent in her day to day movements. She was one who appreciated a merited explanation to things that she was not familiar with: Sanosuke had explained to her how to effectively cut a tree as opposed to her hacking away at it; Ro had showed her how to quickly fashion certain knots for certain uses and did not make it a hindrance to Kaoru who occasionally struggled with more demanding knots. In other words, she preferred to understand how things worked without the massive need of having long grandiose explanations peppered with flowery prose to make something seem much more important than it was.

But a light like that… if not even Sanosuke knows what it could have been, Kaoru mused to herself as she felt her fingertips dig into the flesh of her upper arm and she bit her lip lightly. She knew that Ro had seen it as well but she was ignorant to what Ro had relied to Tae and Aoshi when they had done the debriefing with her. Kaoru made a mental note to check in with the blonde before setting a foot inside the Long House to ensure that all the details matched up. She knew that Ro would provide the minimum of details and she would have omitted the fact that Kaoru had broken protocol because it would have become a massive liability for Ro as well—but Kaoru still had a sneaking suspicion that her friend was disgruntled and might have slipped on some of the finer details.

Kaoru sighed heavily as she closed her eyes momentarily, leaning her head against the glass as she felt the warmth of the candles pour over her lightly as though they were trying to assuage her pent up tensions. She shivered against the cool glass of the window as she tried to dig into the recesses of her memories from training and the bizarre Central regulated education that all patrol individuals were given. There had never been any mention of lights or bizarre supernatural forces that were that destructive: the vizinhos had their own forms of supernatural or magic based behaviour that was foreign to a human like herself yet she had never heard of it being so concentrated or utilized in such a way.

She could recall stories from when her parents were still alive about the vizinhos and how they would use their craft to pull pranks or to do kind deeds from time to time: if a garden was looking a bit droopy, a kindly vizinho might take pity and spruce it a bit and breathe life into the plants. She had heard cases from Ro's Southern plains that there were much more engaging acts of magic and supernatural activity that would be in the forms of blessings or curses—something that solidified that the South had a much more intimate relationship with the great creatures that inhabited the same plains as the humans. Those kind acts had dried up quicker than the water reserves in the West once Central's campaigns to exterminate the vizinhos kicked off with a fury and there were more reports of attacks and curses than of kindred interaction.

Opening her eyes slowly, her gaze focused beyond the glass and onto the forest that seemed even dark under the cover of night. Kaoru knew that the forest housed many things that her own eyes would never been able to see and that her job often brought her close to a nexus of danger that other professions in Tereré did not have to suffer. Being a mere human, she was unable to use magic or wield objects that were crafted by supernatural beings but she had been able to tune her senses like a radio that would pick up in interruptions on her normal frequency waves. All patrollers that were accustomed to roaming the routes that cut around the forested mountain and through it had refined senses that had been sharpened by the grinding block of paranoia and the fear of death that crept up on them like an ominous beast.

As her blue eyes traced the shape of the mountain and its mysterious forest that claimed so much from her people, she found her eyes being dragged to a certain point nestled at the crest in the hill that marked the exit path from Route Zed. Her eyes widened as she swore that there seemed to be a faint glow that was the same colour of the light housed within the light box that she and Ro had stumbled across earlier. Kaoru blinked as she shook her head, muttering something about being sleep deprived, but her eyes went back to the same spot and as she squinted, she realized that the light seemed to be bumbling about as though it were floating on its own accord in a whimsical and carefree stupor.

"Sano," Kaoru hissed through her teeth as she ripped her gaze away from the window and the light in the mountain and peered over at the other patroller who was still sleeping contently on the sofa.

"Sano!" Her voice rasped heavily and he stirred immediately at the tone that she projected, his brown eyes opening groggily as he glared over at her for disturbing the much needed rest that all patrollers required. His large frame shifted on the sofa as he angled his arm over the back of the sofa and pulled himself up to a sitting position as he eyed Kaoru with a confused stare.

"C'mere… now," She added as though the light would vanish from sight if she were to raise her voice another octave. Sanosuke gave her a baffled look as he ran a hand over his eyes to dispel the remnants of sleep from them but he obliged as he rose to his feet gracefully. Stepping over the flour circle he had made on the floor, he slid up to the window and Kaoru could feel the warmth of his body against her back and she pressed herself against the glass.

"Look," She said quietly as she tapped her finger against the glass and gestured at the light that seemed content with bobbing about the hill that overlooked their village. "See it?" She felt Sanosuke pressing against her as he, too, leaned forward so that his face was nearly pressed against the glass as he stared through the darkness and followed where Kaoru's finger was indicating. His dark eyes squinted as he tried to pick through the horrid misinformed trees that villagers had cut away for their own necessities and he soon found the object of Kaoru's fixation.

"You see it?" She repeated in a whistle as she felt Sanosuke's arms reach around her to brace himself on the window frame as he leaned in even more and stared at the light that still fluttered about like a spirited butterfly.

"Ye," He replied as he looked down at Kaoru whose face was alight with a mix of strange emotions that suggested that she was brawling with internal turmoil about what she wanted to say to him. Snaosuke knew that Kaoru had impulsive behaviour from time to time, a rash streak when she felt slighted or the urge to do something without thinking it through—much like he had in his first years on patrol—and he knew that he had to throw the brakes on her plan before she even uttered the words that he knew she was formulating in her head.

"We're not going," He said firmly as he moved his hand away from a candle.

"It's the same colour as the light from the light box in the forest," Kaoru pointed out impatiently.

"I don't care, we're not going—it's too dangerous, Kaoru," Sanosuke said in a low tone of voice as he felt the intense azure stare meet his darker eyes as she wanted to protest his words. "Think about it: you touched the vizinho's light box or whatever you're calling it. It may be coming down the mountain looking for you."

"But nothing seemed malicious about it when Ro and I had a look," Kaoru countered as she felt her hair flop against her shoulder as she turned her stare back to the light that seemed to only move around the same area. It was bobbing like a buoy out on the ocean, happily moving against the lapping waves of the wind that seemed to push it to and fro without any particular urgency. It was intriguing and hypnotic to Kaoru as she felt her eyes drawn to it like a heavy magnet was pulling at her soul.

"The light box itself might not be malicious but its owner could be," Sanosuke corrected as he gave her a scathing look that reminded her that his years of experience trumped her own track record and that he was much more in tune with what was occurring in the forest. Sanosuke was one of the few patrollers that was allowed to walk routes on his own accord—he had proven to be a proficient fighter as well as an excellent tracker and marksman when required. He knew the forest beyond many of the routes because he was often the one recovering the bodies of the miners or loggers when they had crossed a vizinho. He himself had, had rough encounters with powerful creatures and had his fair share of scars littering his body as proof but he still trudged on and patrolled because he had invested too much into the profession to consider something else in the meanwhile.

"We're not going, Missy, that's final," Sanosuke said with a note of finality as he peeled himself away from the window and stood behind Kaoru. He rested a large hand on her sloping shoulder and gave her a deflated look. "I know you want to see what it is, but if there's even the hint of possibility that they're looking for you, it's too risky. Megumi would kill me if anything happened to you."

Kaoru was silent as she refused to meet his stare and she felt his form retreat to the kitchen as he bumped into the counter, swearing loudly before reaching into the cupboard and pulling out the last rations of their sweet biscuits. Bringing them over in their plastic wrapping, he offered her one but she shook her head as she continued to watch the light with a look of determined awe on her face. Sanosuke grunted as he withdrew the biscuits from her and wandered over to the sofa once more and stretched out on the worn piece of furniture, mindlessly shoving two biscuits into his mouth.

"Do you think they're bad, Sanosuke?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"Eh?" His voice was seemingly distorted through the filters of emotional storms that ravaged her mind but she was able to pick out the words with the smallest hint of clarity.

"The vizinhos: do you think they're bad?"

"Are Central's politics beneficial to the majority?" Sanosuke replied with another question as he pillowed his head against his arms and arched his back before settling onto the sofa, his legs sticking out over the edge. "We've had this discussion—there's good, there's bad. It is what it is." Kaoru's face remained unmoving at his usual answer to anything involving the environment they existed in but she knew that he had an inkling of a grudge against them given that they had left the more Northern villages in ruins. Sanosuke had immigrated to Tereré when it became too dangerous for people to inhabit the land beyond the mountain given that it had been reclaimed by the creatures and Central had been unable to maintain their stake in the territory.

"Ro and I talked about it, you know," Kaoru offered slyly.

"Ro is from the South," Sanosuke said pointedly without looking at the girl who was still lingering by the window. "Her understanding is much different from us—she grew up with a different context around the vizinhos. While it's nice and tries to make you feel good, they still have their problems with them."

"I know," Kaoru murmured.

"I can't believe that you two actually touched something from the other side," Sanosuke grumbled as he referred to Ro and Kaoru's examination of the light box object. Sanosuke knew Ro extensively through Kaoru and they had socialized together many times, but he also knew that Ro was someone who was not putting one-hundred percent of herself out in the open. He knew that her husband had been killed in the forest—Sanosuke had been one of the ones that the local council requested in the recovery effort—but he also knew that her reasons for joining the patrol division were not what she had stated on the paperwork scroll that had been submitted and he just happened to have had a glance at.

Sanosuke was also keen on the fact that Kaoru never openly discussed her reasons for joining the patrol division either other than the fact that she loathed the work of the surveyors and the fact that women were forbidden from heavy labour. It left her a smattering of options to work in something much administrative or in the factories. Sanosuke was still slightly baffled on the details, but he had first seen Kaoru when she and Ro were the only two women in the basic training for the patrol division. When asked, Kaoru simply required that there had been an announcement for women to participate in the patrol corps and she had signed up on a whim. She knew that her father had been a prominent figure in the same division before his disappearance and presumed death but she never confirmed or denied it as her reason for joining.

"I'm sorry," She breathed through her lips as she turned to stare back at the light that had seemingly stilled momentarily and relegated itself to one place.

"It's too late to be sorry, Missy," Sanosuke said bluntly but then his face softened as he sat up to stare at the figure of the woman peering through the glass. "We all make mistakes in this job—you pay the consequences one way or another. You just don't make the same mistake twice, you know?" Kaoru looked over at him briefly before ripping her gaze away to continue observing the light attentively as she contemplated his words. She knew that he spoke from crude and difficult experience given that he had seen a completely different side of the job that she still had not overturned and she respected that he was looking out for her best interests. Sanosuke, as frustrating as he could be with her, was someone she ultimately found great solace in because he could empathize with her plight and served as a protective older male figure that she had never had growing up.

"I…I'm going to go to bed," Kaoru settled for as she stepped away from the window, casting her back to the glass and cutting the line of sight with the light so that she was not tempted to keep staring at it. Sanosuke was correct in ascertaining that if the vizinho wanted to find her, it would approach their house and the two occupants would be left praying that the archaic ritual would be functional despite the impractical nature of it. Kaoru had a sneaking suspicion that a vizinho would not be impressed by a crudely made circle of flour or incense and would reek havoc on the household regardless of the measures taken against it. She still also clung to the sliver of a notion that the light box was not something evil that should be feared.

"I'll stay here," Sanosuke said neutrally as he lifted a hand and waved it, bidding her good night.

"You think I'll go outside," Kaoru accused as her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I know you will, Missy, we've been friends long enough that I know how you are," He said gruffly.

"I'm not going to go outside," Kaoru muttered.

"Just in case," Sanosuke said, a light note of teasing entering his voice. "Go to sleep, Missy—we can talk in the morning. Don't worry about it, seriously: like I said, don't make the same mistake twice. Write this off as a learning experience and hope for the best. That's all we can do, ain't it?" Kaoru stared at him numbly before she felt her head nod in agreement as she meandered her way over to the staircase and ascended to her bedroom, her eyes drawn to the leaf of star anise dangling from the window with her hair ribbon.

The window that she had in her room looked over the mountains and she found her eyes trying to spy the flicker of light that had enraptured her and confirmed to Sanosuke that she had not been fibbing or making up stories. The light was stationary and the sensation that it seemed to be looking right back at her crept up her spine as she shivered from the feeling of being observed with supernatural intensity. Kaoru tore herself away from the window, muttering that she had promised Sanosuke she would not investigate—the urge to explore and discover the light box's owner and what intentions it had, had. She knew that it was a risky move and she did not want to jeopardize neither Sanosuke or Ro's safety so she suppressed her curiosity and steeled her reserve as she closed the curtains, taking the temptation from her life.

Flopping down onto her bed, she reached for the blankets and cocooned herself within them, her injured leg curling slightly as she tried to find a comfortable position that did not irritate it too much. Kaoru wrapped her arms around her pillow, hugging it to her frame as she squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled through her nose. Her mind was whirring with a flurry of thoughts that swirled around her like the winter snows and she tried to contain her brain from wandering to thoughts and memories that were best left untouched in these moments.

"Tomorrow," She whispered to herself. "Tomorrow I'll look."

* * *

The darkness was an inky black that seemed to churn around him like the angry sea as the winds whispered on his ears and the trees rustled their melody, speaking to his deepest core as he felt the magic hum beneath his skin. His body was light and weightless as he was unable to hear his own footsteps even though he knew his legs were carrying him in an undetermined direction that seemed to be calling out to him from a force unseen. There was something that pulled at his soul, an unconditional warmth that had been absent or gone undetected by his razor sharp senses and now whatever was lingering just beyond his grasp was reaching out and teasing him mercilessly—waking him rudely and abruptly from a deep slumber that he himself had been unaware of until everything flared to life around him.

He could hear the gentle murmurs of a delicate feminine voice curl around the delicate shell of his ear, the words distorted and unintelligible but overflowing with a kindness and sadness that seemed to intertwine to form a bizarre symphony of musicality the he had never heard. Though her words were difficult to understand, he picked up on a vastly different accent than his own and he strained to try and localize where she had hailed from but was unsuccessful. Grunting, he nodded his head lightly as he contented himself temporarily with allowing her voice to infiltrate his mind as he pondered on what was occurring around him.

His eyes wanted to open and take in the light: he needed to see where the voice was coming from and who the owner was and he wanted to curl up next to it and bask in the sunshine light quality that was roughly akin to what he was able to understand. His body refused, saying it was not time for him to wake fully from his comatose-like state. His mind rebuked that it was more than ready to awaken—there was something that had stirred him from the depths of a murky slumber from which one was not supposed to be woken. All his eyes could see was the darker than black world that he occupied and an heavy pit formed in his belly.

 _Who are you?_ His mind called into the darkness as it desperately sought out some sort of response but was met with a wall of silence. The murmurs of the voice died away and he felt his face fall at the lack of response. His existence was seemingly bound together by an unseeing force and he wanted to reach into the darkness and rip through the shadowy curtains that painfully obscured his senses. His arms did not want to break from their patterns of swinging back and forth as he trotted in a certain direction and his legs refused to stop moving.

 _Where are you?_ The sound of his own voice was foreign to his own ears, he himself unaware of how long he had gone without hearing it. Cringing inwardly at the raspy undertones that his voice emitted from going without use, he tightened his shoulder muscles instinctively as he whirled his head around and tried to sense out the voice through the darkness. He himself knew it would lead to nothing yet his soul roared at him to find the owner of the voice because perhaps it knew something about his condition. The thumping of his heartbeat echoed within his ears and he grit his teeth as he thrashed against the constraints on his body that was halting him from being able to seek out what he wanted to find.

 _Who are you?_ His soul called out once again into the nothingness of the vast void of darkness and he felt his body still momentarily as it slackened in a bizarre form of exhaustion. He could not recall a moment of being this tired—he could remember nothing as he felt everything rushing through his mind pass by in a heavy blur of haphazard images and a palette of scents that ranged from fire to blood to something much more primal that confused and amazed him at the same time. It was something that would push most to the brink, he assumed, yet his entire being seemed to be composed of such a wild rush of sensory overload as he tried to process what was happening around him.

 _I'm tired,_ His soul whined to his mind and he felt himself loosen his muscles as he felt his own legs give out from beneath him. Whatever activity he had partaken in prior to this undetermined slumber must have been a laborious task because everything hurt. Muscles seemed to seize up and cry out in pain, his back was strained, and his could feel the terrain of his body trying to heal wounds that still had not closed. He frowned, feeling his mouth fall into a sad line, as he tried to comprehend how he had been left in such conditions but relented as his body protested against him once more to continue resting comfortably within the safety of the protective layers of the forest.

 _Forest?_

 _How did I get here?_ He furrowed his brow at the flash of a grouping of trees passing through his mind but he pushed it to the side violently as he shook his head as he tried to clear his thoughts and focus on the thrumming energy that charged the air around him. Something was yanking at his heartstrings and it was unsettling as he tried to listen to the murmur of a voice that seemed to be little beyond babbling nonsense at this point.

 _Run_ , a feminine voice breathed into his ear and he felt his body seize up violently at how close the unseen voice was.

"Run," He repeated aloud, his mouth moving as crackled lips began to moisten from the physical muscle movement. "Run?"

 _You're needed_ , the voice crooned into his ear and he could have sworn he felt tendril-like fingers tracing the strong angles of his jaw. Another brush of a hand danced over the scar tissue on his cheek and he felt the hypersensitivity of his senses jump to life as a small flare of warmth of light danced before him, allowing his skin to feel its radiance as it flitted around him. It was barely enough— it was only illuminating a small patch of the darkness that wrapped itself around his body, yet his eyes still refused to open as his body protested that it was still exhausted from the last time.

"The last time?" He heard himself question aloud, his brow creasing in authentic confusion at the thoughts that were being spelled out in his head like the words of a script. He could read them and he could understand them literally yet he did not understand the underlying subtexts. The last time… for what?

 _Go—you've been called,_ the voice whispered delicately into his ear as it seemed to plant a subtle kiss on his other cheek. _It is time to awaken—you have been dormant long enough. You will know what you need to do when the time comes._ He felt his eyes slowly flutter to life as they tried desperately to open at the request of the bizarre voice that was speaking to the depths of his soul. There were many conflicts raging between his slumbering exterior and he was unsure as to how to address them or how to at least calm the turbulent waves that ripped through his existence.

 _You will once again roam the Earth, but this time you will not be alone,_ She said quietly into his ear as the entire world silenced at those very words uttered from the unseeing mouth. There was nothing by mystery rapped up in such simple sentences and he felt his entire being freeze as his mind caught up with his body. There was something hidden within those words, a rich emotional tapestry that was too complex to understand yet it was beautiful to admire as it was woven with hints of sadness, lethargy, urgency, and despair but tied to a thin thread of hope that dangled precariously in the mix of darkness.

 _But first you must help the one who needs it most,_ The voice urged quickly. _Open your eyes and run—you will find her._

At those very words he felt as though his body had lost control over the most minuscule of movements and his eyes snapped open with the fury of a rush of hornets to protect their hive. Everything around him that was cast in the darkness seemed to melt away slowly as the world became apparent to him once more and there were shapes, smells, and sounds that his body could process and recognize. Blinking as he felt the world of darkness and eternal peaceful slumber slip away from him like the tide of the ocean, he felt his heightened senses kick into overdrive as he was suddenly overwhelmed with a stream of energy that carried human and magical energies that criss-crossed and intersected in delicate patterns that only his eyes could see.

 _She is counting on you,_ the voice said in departure as it faded into the cacophony of forestry sounds and vanished from his wind without a trace. Violet eyes blinked as they bled to gold as a feral and predatory urge rose in his chest as he inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the forest that he was not indigenous to yet was able to map out in his mind as the forest seemed to curl up to him, spilling her most intimate secrets. He was sprawled on his back in the thick mossy underbrush and he felt the urge to purge his guts as the world stopped spinning and everything settled into focus.

The forest seemed to moan as though it were pained and he frowned deeply as it told him about how its streams had run red and how the conflict was marring her precious earth. He heard stories of tragedy, wonder, and suffering as the forest shrieked in his head about how her resources were ripped from her and parts of her were left to die. He himself was confused greatly as he did not understand how he could translate the rustling leaves and the groans of the earth into his mind and understand the plight of the forest and her inhabitants.

"What is going on?" He wondered as he felt the forest ease into his mind as he saw the network of human made paths wind through the trees and the mountainside. As he pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly in the process, he felt the urge to vomit pass as he was more fixated on the fact he had woken up a in a place that his instincts screamed was not his own. His memory was a blur as nothing made sense and everything was smudged on the canvas of his mind. All he was conscious of was the fact that he had been awoken by an external force and he has woken up not knowing even who he was. Blinking as he felt a prickling sensation behind his eyes at the rush of carnal emotion from the forest that seemed to possess his mind to try and make him understand, he brushed the sleeve of his garment against his eyes as he looked around to orient himself.

"And who is counting on—" He cut himself off as his mind's eye slowly picked out a much more vibrant thread of human energy that was seemingly humming with a different pulse to it. Even though his physical hands remained glued firmly to his sides, he could see his own hand reaching out to try and caress the energy that was thrumming animatedly as though it were bursting with life. The colour was a soft rosy-gold colour that pulsated and chirped happily as it slowly slid away from his fingers and seemed to taunt him, drawing him in closer. He felt one of his legs lift up and set down as his body seemed lured to follow the light as it pulled further and further away from him, leading his physical body down the steep incline of the mountain.

As he feet picked up the pace, the man felt his mind slip into something much more simple and something that encouraged him to gnash his teeth in the face of adversity. Even though he was not of the forest he moved through her gracefully as he was spurred on by the light and the desire to see where it guided him. His body still ached immensely and his existence cried out for the light to let him hold it and embrace it yet he trudged forward as he felt the ground change from grassy and mossy footing to a more rocky and muddy terrain. He lifted his head as he snapped out of the trance and his eyes widened at the sight of an unknown village that sprawled out beneath him.

"This place…" He whispered as he felt the wind push at his back as the light in his mind's eye and invisible to the human world seemed to wait for him impatiently at what seemed to mark a downhill trail. His eyebrows raised as he himself was unsure if it was safe to approach a village that he had never known but his soul nudged him forward as something called out to him. His feet hit the manmade path as he gradually slid down the incline, his balance and natural grace saving him from toppling head over feet as he descended swiftly in pursuit of the light that seemed to enchant his soul.

The light danced about the sky freely before dissipating in front of him and the man hit stopped himself before he lost his footing. Head whipping around as he took in the surroundings, he realized that the light had guided him around the edge of the mountain and he was only a few hundred meters from the first rows of haphazardly constructed houses that clearly marked the territory as human. He whirled around and looked towards the mountain and the forest that had fallen quiet in his mind, just as the strange voice had, and narrowed his eyes.

"Why did you bring me here? What can I do?" He asked in a harsh raspy whisper as he looked back at the village. He marvelled at the houses and how they were cast in shadows except for the ones where a faint light seemed to emerge from. It reminded him of a cozy sensation but it was still foreign to his perception as he ensured to keep a healthy distance between the human settlement and himself. He was unsure as to why his body was wary but his soul seemed to try and tug him back in the direction of the forest, begging him to round the foot of the mountain to seek out whatever it was he was looking for or whatever had allegedly called him.

Once again, he mused, his footsteps did not make a sound as he waltzed gracefully over the ground and the village vanished from view as he ghosted himself away into the trees, his soul ferrying him closer to whatever it was fixated upon.

* * *

A/N: As always, thank you for the reviews! I enjoy reading the theories and am content that everyone enjoys the world building and the lore! One specific reviewer pinpointed three very interesting points about the world and how its politics are structured and I guess it means that my educational background in political systems is showing! Regardless, the world will continue to be built like a flower that flourishes upwards and out as we get deeper into the plot. Hopefully with this taste of Kenshin in the chapter, although unnamed, it will help move things along.

I will say, I do not have a set upload schedule, but I have a few chapters pre-written. Work takes up a lot of my time so I like to space them out to give me enough of a gap to be able to write things out and publish. I will try for weekly, but it may be difficult.

On a side note, I've had the soundtrack for _Ori and the Blind Forest_ playing on repeat while I write. It's a beautifully crafted soundtrack that really sets the mood for writing. The first track (Ori, Lost in the Storm) is what I associate with this world's Kenshin and the much more solemn track of "The Sacrifice" is what I write Kaoru's character to. It may not be apparent now, but it will be soon.

And, on a final note, I don't own the characters, I just exploit them for my own devices! :D Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter IV

Encounter

"May your journey overflow with chance and fated encounters."

* * *

Kaoru was awakened by the sounds of Sanosuke banging around in the kitchen, surely scrounging around for the remains of their rations to throw together some odd breakfast, and she groaned as she rolled onto her back. Looking over blearily at the curtains, she realized that it was still not sunrise and she blinked momentarily before her mind reminded her that there had been something beckoning to her from the mountainside. Sliding out of bed quickly, she crossed the three meters between her bed and the window and ripped open the curtains, the mountain greeting her and her sleepy eyes scanned the mountain side in search of the light.

"Gone," She murmured when she failed to spot it and she sighed as she looked up at the leaf of star anise that was dangling innocently from the nail above her window. Her mind casually pondered if the old ritual had been effective or if the vizinho was bidding time or not even interested in seeking her out. Her mind mustered up a rudimentary pair of scenarios that she discarded with a certain hint of indifference to them. She snorted lightly as she reached up and touched the star anise with the tip of her index finger, battering the leaf gently as she smiled lightly to herself before turning away from the window and exiting her room.

"Morning, Missy," Sanosuke greeted as he contemplated how to best prepare the four eggs that were left in their pantry. His brown eyes were dark with concentration as he pondered the merits of scrambled or hard boiled eggs and Kaoru decided it was best to leave him to his own devices without her lack of culinary skills ruining the little food that they had left. She glanced over at the fire and realized that it was nearing a pile of smouldering embers and gave Sanosuke a quick look before padding over to the fireplace and crouching down to add more wood.

"I thought you brought in more wood, Sano," She called to the kitchen and she heard him mutter something about 'these damned rations' before she brushed her hands of the soot. Rising to her feet, she reached for her everyday cloak—a worn garment that was a hand-me-down from Ro—and shoved her feet into the espadrilles that were standard-issued to the citizens under Central's reach. Cheap and easy to assemble, the espadrilles were useless for anything other than walking around town but Kaoru did not complain as the comfortable shoes hugged her feet nicely. She had restitched hers to last a bit longer, using thread that Sanosuke had procured from the black market, and she had dyed them with the remains of some dried plants so that they were a bit more tailored to her own personal tastes.

"If you're going to get some more wood, take the lantern," Sanosuke advised as he finally turned around to look at his friend. "It's almost daybreak, but it's still a bit dark."

"I thought you had brought more yesterday," Kaoru repeated.

"I did, but it was just twigs and some branches and I got caught in the rain," Sanosuke replied evenly. "Besides, with everyone trying to get their own firewood from the area around Tereré, we have to keep getting closer and closer to the mountain. Wouldn't have been useful to bring wet wood, would it?" His eyes were knowing as Kaoru nodded in agreement before pivoting around and walking towards their supply closet to pull out the small glass lantern that they used occasionally.

"It should still have enough juice in it from the last time I used it," Sanosuke commented as he watched as Kaoru dusted the light coating of dust that had accumulated on the small glass lamp. "We have a few more castor seeds if you still need them."

"I won't be gone long," Kaoru said lightly as she reached for the matches and lit the oil lamp with a well practiced motion. "I'll try to get as much as I can carry, but we will have to go out once things have dried out more." She lifted the oil lamp from the table and she returned to the fireplace to collect the wicker backpack that Sanosuke had deposited carelessly in the corner of the living room. "I'm just going to get what's sort of dry—although I don't think I'll find much."

"Where are you going to look?" It was an innocent enough question but Sanosuke knew Kaoru well enough to be able to guess that she would stray close to the overlook of Tereré in order to do a casual sweep to see if she could spot the light. Freezing for a moment before continuing to shrug herself into the wicker backpack, she felt her lip stiffen at the underlying accusation that he knew she was potentially going to defy him.

"I won't go into the safe-zone in the mountain," She said slowly. "If that's what you're implying. I was thinking about the safe-zone clearing though."

"I'll be watching through the window," Sanosuke said with a hint of warning in his voice. "It's not safe, Missy, don't play around with your life—at least like _this._ Wait until you're on the clock if you're going to do something reckless." Kaoru did not even blink at the implications of his words because she knew that he was right once again and that she did need to keep her 'curiosity' in check in order to avoid endangering the others around her.

"I won't go," She repeated in a low voice.

"Good," Sanosuke said simply before moving back towards the kitchen. "I'll have breakfast ready for when you come back. Don't take too long. We can go pick up the rations after we eat. Or you can get them and I pick up our salaries from the bank."

"Sounds good," Kaoru relented with a tepid smile as she gingerly stepped over the flour circle and unbolted their front door, pushing it open with a mighty shove as she felt her espadrilles loose traction momentarily on the floor before she regained her footing. Slipping through the door and shutting it, she held the oil lamp up and created a small stream of warm light that lit her face up in a bizarre dance of shadows. Her blue eyes were alert as she gazed around the residential area of Tereré and was satisfied that life was still slumbering peacefully and that nothing seemed out of place.

Rounding the corner of the intersection, she slowly crossed the grid-like system that Central had put in, in favour of the more modern street like system as opposed to what had existed in the first place. Kaoru was still fairly young when Central had began its process of transforming Tereré into an industrial powerhouse. The streets had been winding and sprawling, Kaoru could recall playing amongst friends' houses, and the houses had been much more typical of the Northern people. Their facades had been constructed of sturdy granite but those had been dismantled and shipped to Central for other uses. The newer houses that had been built in replacement were made of wood and did little to keep the warmth within their confines. The house that Kaoru shared with Sanosuke had been one of the few original ones left in place but it, too, had been ransacked of useful materials and resources.

She could recall the bustling market place that was lush with fruits and vegetables from the South, meat from the central plains, breads from the wonderful grains in the West, and fish from the Eastern seaboard. It had been a colourful market that was overwhelming with sounds, textures, and smells that she had not felt in more than a decade. She missed being able to peer into the stalls and see what the vendors had for offering that day. The market still existed but it was an insulting representation of what it had been and she always felt disappointed when she had to cut through there to get to a delegation office. Central had cut off the trade routes between the four cardinal directions and everything had to pass through the heart of the country so that the citizens of the capital had their first selection and they were often left with the scraps of what the higher class capital-lites did not want.

Those had been the first signs that things were going to become more difficult.

Then they had shuttered her school and delegated the children to the government's whims and needs. She, too, had been caught in that wave.

Then her mother was unable to get the medicine needed to treat her illness and perished.

Then her friends slowly began to turn into statistics of the state, bodies dumped in unmarked graves in the outskirts of Tereré.

Then it became harder to get oil and fats for cooking. Meat was no longer a part of their diet: everything was shipped to Central.

Then the raids and the campaigns began.

Kaoru's nostrils flared at the memory of reading in the living room of her old home and her father answering the door to a group of Central state soldiers that pushed him to the side. They had stomped into her childhood home and searched everything to under the suspicion that her father had been a sympathizer with the vizinhos or, effectively, an enemy against Central's agenda to reestablish humans as the dominant species. She remembered as the soldiers knocked precious clay statues to the ground, shattering them and then stepping on them, and she could recall them ransacking her room and ripping up drawings that were left over from her school days. Even though she was sixteen and the schools had shut mere months before, she still held onto things from much more innocent times as though clinging to a memory would help sooth the dull pain of knowing her world was crumbling around her.

Her father had stood by passively as he watched the soldier rummage through important papers, only wincing when they ripped something, and Kaoru felt her heart shudder at watching her normally brave father be reduced to a passive observer as their lively-hood was scrutinized and violated by the hands of the Central state soldiers. She herself had been horrified as they blew through their house and left it as thought a tornado had passed through the cozy hearth and clearly remembered the defeated look her father flashed her momentarily before going about and collecting what he could rescue from the soldiers' destruction.

Skipping a step on her good leg, she slowly wound her way though a narrow alleyway, holding up the oil light to illuminate the narrow path and she ghosted over the ground as she vanished between two houses and emerged onto a busy street that would lead her to a marked safe area to collect whatever semi-dry wood she could find. Judging by the time, she reckoned that there was at least someone out patrolling the perimeter and knew that she could collect her wood in peace before returning home to see how Sanosuke's interpretation of eggs would haunt her digestive system.

Reaching a clearing that was at the foot of the mountain and held some sparsely forested ground, she studied the area to see what types of wood were available to her and ready for the picking. The heavy rains from the previous day and early evening had left everything soaking wet but she knew if she sorted through some of the trees and underbrush a bit deeper into area, she would probably be able to pick up a few things to keep them going through the day. Stepping into the area, she set the oil lamp on the ground along with the wicker backpack and kneeled down delicately as she reached her hands into the undergrowth and began to feel around for any stray sticks of chunks of wood that could serve her needs.

Her fingers groped around the plants, her face contorting as she brushed over a patch of sticky and moist moss, and she managed to wrap her hands around a sizeable piece of wood that was mostly dry. She pulled it out quickly and dropped it in her backpack, resuming her task as she felt around for more wood that was similar in character. Her eyes were focused on the undergrowth and she had a lingering sensation that a creature would latch onto her hand at any moment but shook it away as she grabbed another piece of wood and tossed it into the backpack thoughtlessly. Kaoru's efficiency at this task was unrivalled given that she had been required to do it for many years and she knew how to tell what wood would burn and which would not. It was dirty work and she and Sanosuke often quarrelled over whose turn it was, but many times she would relent and do it herself because it gave her a break from other tasks that she would saddle him with in her stead.

As she invested herself in her work, she began to unconsciously hum in her throat as her mind wandered. The last day or so had been bizarre to her and she was still reeling from what Ro had divulged to her about Tomoe. Kaoru was aware that Ro would never intentionally do anything to cause harm to Kaoru and she knew that the blonde saw the merit in indulging her in those details and that her fears and anxiety could potentially be justified if what Ro claimed was true. She had neglected to tell Sanosuke about that particular highlight of her day, knowing that he would have shrugged or made some sort of comment, and she had resigned herself to allowing herself to think on it. Her mind was arriving to two distinct forks in the road: confront Tomoe directly and demand explanations or let it go.

Before she had realized it, she was murmuring the words to another childhood song that they had, had drilled into their minds by teachers and mothers and fathers alike, her voice sweet and delicate as she hummed out the first notes of the ditty as her hands still searched the undergrowth for the wood.

 _"In the prisons of Tereré, was a prisoner,_ " She began to sing in a low voice as she felt the melody spill from her mouth of its own accord. " _No one came to see him but the jailer's daughter…"_ She cut herself off as she felt her hands brush something with thorns and she withdrew her hand with a hiss as she inspected her skin. It was only a slight cut and she shrugged as she reached back into the undergrowth with a wary look as she knew now that she was dealing with the unpleasant prickly plants that seemed to cause more headaches than anything.

 _"In the the town they say that you are going to be hanged,"_ Kaoru continued to hum as she busied herself with the task and allocated herself another ten minutes to gather what they needed. " _Since they will hang me, untie my feet—-the girl was young—"_ She was interrupted again as a spike of something malicious in the air came to her attention and she jerked herself up as she pushed herself to her feet rapidly. Her azure eyes were alert as she scanned the area around her and did not see any patrollers or other individuals around.

"Damn," She muttered darkly as she slowly backed away from the undergrowth to put distance between the plants and herself and she made a _tck_ sound in her throat for neglecting to have left the house even without a pocket knife. She knew that this area was cleared on a constant basis by the patrollers so that the civilians and non-armed citizens could gather wood without risk, having done that particular task thousands of times herself, yet she was unsure as to how long it had been since they had passed through the supposed safe zone.

Slowly reaching down to scoop up the oil lamp, she ran through the several options in her mind as she bit her lip in concentration. Her senses were tuned enough that she knew that whatever shifted the airs was near by but she could not pick up the exact distance. She slowly felt herself centre once more as she tried to calm herself down to try and read the environment to determine if it was going to be something malicious or it was a tiny vizinho that had scrambled down the mountain to investigate the noises she was surely making in the early hours of the morning.

 _I've got an oil lamp… and a backpack,_ She mused dryly— her inner voice was much more sardonic than normal—as she contemplated her strategy if whatever was lurking around was not benign. Her weaker leg was another disadvantage and she knew that if she were required to sprint away, despite however short the distance was, she would be favouring one leg and it was not a viable option. Kaoru also knew that she could potentially stand her ground and linger around to see what was creeping around in the darkness but she knew that, that carried its own dangers and consequences if she were to make even the slightest miscalculation.

Kaoru was more or less versed in hand to hand combat but that had only been ever practiced on fellow humans and she was unsure as to how effective punching a potentially dangerous beast would be. Gritting her teeth she took a defensive stance as she held the oil lamp up to try and light up what little she could with the flickering flame that threatened to blow out at any moment. She was mentally reeling at this point but knew that she was effectively cornered in an unruly situation that was unfavourable to her across the board. Kaoru eyed the ground momentarily before she slowly slid to position herself behind her wicker backpack, some rag-tag idea forming in her brain as she roved her eyes over the terrain.

The rustling in the trees to her left was enough to make her hair stand up on the back of her neck and she whirled around on her good leg, holding her oil lamp up even further as she squinted and made out the form of a beast. She felt her heart skip a heavy beat as she watched the beast emerge from the trees on four sturdy legs, long and protruding quills on its back standing straight in a defensive position. Kaoru felt her throat close momentarily as she recognized the beast as a venomous-class vizinho that tended to cause patrollers issues and had chalked up a few human deaths to its name. She cursed inwardly as she froze and hoped that the beast's poor eyesight would work to her advantage.

Kaoru was willing her body to not make any sound as she watched the quilled beast, classified under the name _'Espina',_ circle the enclosure, a trail of noxious drool dripping down from between its fangs. She wanted to cover her nose to avoid breathing in the toxic chemicals that were laced in the beast's saliva but she resisted the urge to make any moments as she watched it out of the corner of her eye as it slowly made a pass behind her. She could hear it inhaling and scenting the air loud and clear and she desperately bit back the need to cry out for help or to mewl in fear.

She herself had never encountered an _Espina_ type vizinho yet she had heard tales from Ro about someone on her patrol shift who had been stabbed with a few of the quills. The beast itself, despite being blind and mostly dumb and giving off an aura of slowness and clumsiness, was lethal to those who were victims of its poisonous quills. Ro had described how one of the patroller's arms had swollen like a disgusting balloon as it shifted between a horrid purple and a pussy appendage that oozed a yellow creamy liquid that stank of putrefying muscles. When Ro had said that the patroller had died within three hours, Kaoru sent a silent prayer that she would never come in contact with the _Espina_ -class creature that she was now watching warily as she felt herself backed into a dangerous corner from which there was no visible escape.

Some of the first lessons that patrollers were taught in their training were the different types of mythical creatures that they had affectionately and ironically named 'vizinhos' or 'neighbours'. Kaoru could recall the teacher, an elderly man named Genzai, as he drew crude representations of the beasts on the chalkboard and explained how they were venomous, capable of shift shaping, magic users, illusion casters, or just plain dangerous given that they were often armed to the teeth with fangs and claws. They had lost many patrollers due to the lack of information on the beasts and their habitats and that was when patrollers had the task of not only beating back the beasts that threatened the labourers in the mountains and forest but they also were field observers that documented oddities and strange things to be examined by a separate party of people. Kaoru had enjoyed that part of the job immensely as she always felt quite happy to expand on her knowledge as well as use a bit of her own drawing skills to pass the time on the assigned routes.

 _Espina, poisonous, nearly blind—slow, but is able to launch its quills when provoked or startled, not docile, herbivore, they favour flat ground because their large size and top-heavy weight makes it difficult for them to climb mountains or deal with changes of elevation_ , She thought to herself calmly as she also slowly counted backwards from fifty as she tried to regulate her heart beat to avoid the beast hearing it and picking up on her fear. Despite the fact she had a rudimentary working knowledge of the creature she was acutely aware that she had no way of being able to escape from it much less beat it back to make an exit for herself.

 _The best way to handle these creatures is to confuse it with auditory tricks and create false distractions to confuse its hearing,_ She continued to roll over the information in her mind as she felt her muscles in her left arm growing stiff from not moving and from holding the oil lamp. The weakest spot on an _Espina_ -class is the belly, which is hard to access given that getting close to the creature is difficult. Long range weapons work best as does gun powder which, if used in proper quantities, can scare them enough to topple them over. She herself was not someone who'd delved into the world of explosives or gun powder but she knew of more elite members of her ranks that swore by it and its destructive properties.

Kaoru's mind stopped as the beast lifted itself head and its glassy eyes trained on her, nostrils flaring angrily as it seemed to pick up on her scent. It then hit her as it streamed through her hair and rustled her ponytail against the back of her cloak—the movements in the wind were slight enough to catch the vizinho's attention and she realized that she was now effectively trapped and the beast had locked onto her as it ambled closer to her, quills swaying side-to-side as her eyes widened as she watched the creature angle them so that they seemed to point down in a funnel like shape where she would be the recipient.

She cursed Central, amongst other things, but she began to run through her entire vocabulary that Sanosuke had contributed to: Central had ensured that patrollers, under the guise of controlling supplies, were only to be armed when they were on duty. Many families had been forced to turn over precious heirlooms or practical weapons to the delegation and they were melted away and forged into tools for the patrol divisions as well as the state army. Kaoru knew that Ro's pickaxe was made of sturdy composite metals that gave it an odd colouring but was still functional. Kaoru's own weapon, one of the few not made of metal, had been confiscated in the raids on homes and it had fallen onto her register when she mentioned that she enjoyed the idea of high impact and close combat. As she felt the _Espina_ creep up on her and its quills trembled as they seemed to be prepping to be launched through the air and sink into her body, she closed her eyes as she fought the urge to exhale. If anything she was determined not to lose her self control in this instance and was wagering a hefty bet that someone would see her and come to her rescue.

She also knew that, that was improbable: not enough time had passed for Sanosuke to be concerned about her safe return home and she had a sinking feeling that the patrollers were probably not going to pass through the clearing any time soon.

Kaoru watched helplessly as she was frozen to where she was standing as the great beast lumbered towards her to the point she could feel the warmth of its poisonous breath against her skin. She felt loose trails of saliva hit the exposed part of her outstretched left hand and she swallowed a gasp at the burning as the saliva dribbled down her arm, leaving an acrid smell of blistering and festering skin in its wake. She wanted to scream out in pain as the saliva burned her skin but she managed to push it down her throat as she knew that this was at least curable compared to being stung with a lethal quill. Her azure eyes were wide as she watched the beast lean in against her, the tip of a quill nearly snagging her cloak and ensnaring itself in the fabric, but she nearly cried out in relief when the quill freed itself as the beast sniffed her gingerly, the disgusting scent of its drool penetrating Kaoru's nose.

 _Please,_ she thought as she squeezed her eyes closed as she calculated her chances of surviving the encounter and was left dumb-struck by the odds that were spinning out of control and slowly closing in on zero. Her mind was speeding in a lane of logic and knowledge as she tried to weave together a solution or somesort of plan to change the flow of fate but she was drawing up null or fatal answers that would only accelerate her passing onto the other side.

 _Some help would be great now,_ she was too scared to voice her fears, to make that simple call for help which would seal her death and have her body pierced by the most vicious of toxic quills. She figured that a civilian would mostly likely encounter her body, puss and infection-ridden, on the ground of the clearing and that the _Espina's_ signature venom would be the only clue as to how she perished in what was supposedly a safe zone. She could already imagine a crudely fashioned funeral with Sanosuke and Ro being the two main attendees and the rest were shadowed figures who had paid their respects out of a sense of duty and little more. She would become another statistic in Central's ledger and the mere thought of being reduced to an inky tick in the worn scrolls was enough to set off red networks of rage through her body.

She felt her eyes squeeze even tighter as the _Espina's_ drool dribbled mindlessly onto the exposed skin of her neck and she felt it burn at the nape in an uncomfortable symphony of horrid sensations as the images of rotting flesh came to mind. The sensation was much more uncomfortable against the tender flesh of her neck as she felt the burning fade into a disgusting ache that seemed to blister her skin and she knew it would be red and covered in disfigured welts that would take ages to heal if left too long. She tried to dull her mind to the pain as she felt the beast circle but something in her mind's eye snapped and she felt a surge of unknown energy wash over the clearing and she forced her eyes open as discreetly as possible—convinced that the beast could potentially pick up on her eyelids being peeled apart.

The delicate internal radio that each patroller had tuned to the environment around them started to pick up static as Kaoru was unable to read or pick up the frequency of whatever had emitted such a powerful burst of spiritual energy. All she was able to suss out what that it was not malicious nor friendly: it was purely neutral and just seemed to be flexing its muscles to the Espina that had ceased circling Kaoru, nostrils flared outward as its quills shifted again, one of them dangerously close to Kaoru's shoulder and others within stabbing distance if she took a poorly planned step or if the _Espina_ wanted to turn her into a pin cushion.

 _Oh, what now?_ She thought miserably as she felt the very last frays of self control and discipline threaten to unwind as she slowly moved her gaze to the tree line, her azure orbs wary and filled with angst as she willed herself to maintain her stiff posture. The Espina was uttering a retched noise from its throat as though it were a cross between a growl and yelp and Kaoru felt oddly disturbed by such an un-human sound emitting from the beast's mouth. The noise it was making combined with the smells of her flesh being away by the toxic drool and the wind that had slowly picked up was too much for Kaoru and she felt uncomfortably resigned with her fate.

As her eyes fell into a half lidded state, she could make out the humanoid figure obscured by the darkness of the trees and the lack of natural light and she felt nothing as she was ready to fold her hand in this cruel gambling game. As the human-like shape drew closer to the open space, the _Espina's_ growling grew in volume and she felt the tip of one of its quills brushing her shoulder without penetrating the mere cloth of her civilian cloak. She was unsure as to why the beast was reacting the way it was but she was certainly aware that it was much more sensitive to the environment and was perceiving whatever was approaching as a hefty threat.

Kaoru's ears strained as her eyes blurred from the noxious environment the _Espina_ was creating but she was unable to hear any footsteps from the individual who crept closer and closer. It was a phantom-like gait with which he carried himself: there was something that seemed horribly enchanting about being able to skim over the ground undetected yet she was also unsure because very few villagers were able to do that. She also was able to pick out the tattered remains of his clothes and she felt her guard shoot immediately upwards at the realization that he was not wearing garbs typical of the North—or any garbs from other geographical areas of the state controlled by Central.

Whoever—or whatever—this individual was, he was approaching with a confident stride to his step that rolled off his body in waves and projected something un-human to Kaoru that made her throat catch in admiration and horror. Kaoru felt another quill brush against her as the _Espina-_ class vizinho shifted its weight and turned itself to face the approaching figure, its growl much more voracious and ragged. It heaved a few steps forward as its nostrils continued to scent the air, flaring the skin that was criss-crossed with nerves of crimson blood. Kaoru watched in awe as the beast lumbered away from her, allowing her sizeable gap to slowly move away if she wished to make a quick escape from what she had thought to be a perilous end to her already short life.

She watched as the figure was finally freed from the grips of the shadows and she nearly gasped aloud at the sight of the man: he was only a head or so taller than herself and his mane of fiery red hair was knotted and uneven as it fanned against his body. He was wearing what looked to be tattered open cape with nothing underneath and washed out patched pants that stopped just at the knee and were secured with a tightly tied cord that had seen better times. He was hardly dressed for the environment of Tereré and the North and Kaoru solidified her theory that he was definitely not indigenous to her village or that he was completely insane and immune to the harsh wintry climate.

What caught her eye though, as she studied him with her trained field observer like prowess, was the cross shaped scar that was carved into his left cheek. Even though he was still far away, she could see the jagged lines of the scar and she wondered if that was something recently acquired or if it had been something that had, had significant time to cement its presence on his angled face. She swallowed as she lowered her arm holding the oil lamp as she took a mindful step backwards in the attempts to put some distance between herself and the Espina as well as the stranger.

As she took a deep breath as quietly as possible, Kaoru felt her mind begin to cloud over again as she felt the burns on her arm and neck sizzle and bite into her skin, the blisters already beginning to form in haphazard patterns on her body. She grit her teeth as looked over at the stranger who was considering her with a neutral expression that was hidden within the depths of a lovely violet shade of colour that she had never seen on another villager. Kaoru's eyebrow raised at him as though questioning what he was doing and he tilted his head as he looked over at the _Espina-_ class creature with an unassuming aura about him that made Kaoru even more nervous. She had narrowly escaped her potential death from being poisoned but there was the new factor to an equation that she was unsure as to how to solve.

"You're quite angry, that you are," His voice sounded as he crooned to the _Espina_ vizinho who was stumbling its way towards him. The red-headed stranger raised his right hand and stared down at it momentarily before he looked over at creature once again and gave it an almost pitying smile as he lowered his hand to his side again, curling it into a fist, before sliding his legs apart so that his stance was lower to the ground. Kaoru watched as he seemed to calculate the distance between himself and the _Espina_ , whose quills had shifted once more and were pointed at the figure of the man, and she felt as though she were a voyeur to a very bizarre act of theatre with complex choreography that had one trying to read the other and vice-versa.

"But you cannot be hurting people," He said softly to the point Kaoru nearly missed it with her own ears and she whirled her head around as she watched him push off his back leg and with a speed she had never witnessed in her life, she watched as he unfurled his fist and smashed into the animal, his hand digging into the blubbery flesh between quills as he muttered something lost to her. Kaoru felt her jaw unhinge and drop as she watched as the Espina let out a wheeze and angry roar, quills seemingly pointing in any direction possible, and the vizinho tumbled onto its side and began to twitch and seize up. Quills were launched and Kaoru yelped as one pierced the wicker backpack full of firewood and side stepped to avoid one that would have gone through her torso had she not moved.

The figure retracted his hand from the beast and leapt backwards as he stared down at his hand, the creases and folds of skin seeming run alight with a golden current of light that vanished with a hiss. He then looked at the beast that was slowing its seizure-like behaviour as it seemed to fall into a slumber and seize its fitful motions that were making Kaoru's stomach queasy. It was unsettling to witness such a beast flail around in the throes of a forced sleep and she felt pity that it had almost been an unfair fight.

Kaoru opened her mouth in the attempt to say something but she snapped it shut as she realized that she was unable to summon the words to even begin to discourse with this individual. The red-headed male looked over at her with wide violet eyes as though he were taking her in properly for the first time and he took a cautious step towards her, forcing her to take another one back. Kaoru winced as the burns on her skin protested at her creasing her muscles but she grit her teeth as she slid back a few more feet as she wished to widen the distance between the two of them slightly more.

"Who are you?" She finally managed to ask as the words tumbled sloppily from her mouth. The male stared at her with the same wide-eyed expression as his lips pursed together into a thin line and he tried to reach out to grab her arm. Kaoru yanked her arm away and side stepped as she felt her leg warn her that the stitches were being pulled taught. She, as the male discovered, seemed proficient enough by the way she moved and knew how to circle around an enemy yet she had been injured and seemed content with ignoring the extent of them as she watched him like a hawk.

"I was hoping you could answer that for me, that I was," He replied steadily as the sound of his own voice once again startled him. He blinked at her was as he watched her look over at the village momentarily before he realized that there were black spots creeping into his vision. Something must have been expressed on his face as her expression softened from a defensive one to a baffled one as the dark spots seemed to burn across his eyes, casting everything into darkness once again as he felt his body give out and he toppled forward, the last sound he heard was his body hitting the ground harshly and the sound of her ragged gasp.

 _Sleep,_ his body crooned. _You have done well._

So he slept, submitting to his body's wishes as the damp earth raced up to meet his face.

* * *

A/N: It is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I have condensed it with some juicer plot devices! ! :D Unfortunately, work keeps me busy given that it is a bustling university, but I will update as I can!

I hope this chapter will be enjoyed and I hope the introduction of Kenshin, although unnamed for now, was worth the building up of the world a bit. The song that Kaoru was humming is from a folk song whose origins are found in the Northwest of France. The original song is called "In the Nantes Prison" or " _Dans les prisons de Nantes_ ". There are several versions of the song but they're all lovely. As you can see, I am pulling a lot of influence from European folklore and folk songs. They've got something mystic about them and have been able to stand the test of time for a reason!

A couple of notes:

 **Vizinho:** Portuguese word for 'neighbour'. I wanted to use the word ironically in all senses of the word given that beasts that wish revenge on humans are anything but 'neighbourly'. A reviewer guessed correctly!

 **Espina:** Spanish word for 'thorn' or 'spine'.

I love experimenting with different languages to give the world a blending of cultures. In other words, it does not forcibly this AU world inherently Japanese or Iberian. Drawing on themes from all parts of the globe gives it a rich texture, I think, and it is something I am playing with constantly. It gives a world a much more colourful palette to work with without running the risk of limiting it to just one set culture.

As usual, characters are not mind, world is! They're just fun to pluck into new scenarios. And thank you to everyone who had reviewed! They really make my day. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter V

Contact

"May your journey overflow with questions and answers."

* * *

Under the cover of the shadowed darkness of the afternoon rainstorm, the strands of sunshine blonde hair peeked out from beneath her wide brimmed hat as rain drops dotted the canvas fabric, dying a much darker colour than it was. Her blistered feet were agile and quick as she dodged a cart being pulled by two oxen, waving a cheeky apology to the driver, and her blue eyes turned back to the path she had walked hundreds of times on previous occasions for various motives.

Ro's thinly cloaked figure slid between two narrow houses as she inhaled her stomach in the attempts to squeeze herself through the narrow alleyway. Once she was spat out onto the other side, she spotted the familiar house on the block that marked Kaoru and Sanosuke's district and she let her feet hit the ground heavily as she felt her breath grow short from nearly running from the other side of Tereré. Her footsteps seemed to drag out as her heart raced at the urgency with which she had been summoned to Kaoru and Sanosuke's house and she felt the familiar lump of fear tangled with anxiety forming in her gut.

Rounding another sharp corner, she found herself mere meters from her destination and she begrudgingly willed another burst of energy to her exhausted body as she approached the front door and knocked at it sharply a few times to ensure that her presence was made aware to the two occupants inside. She turned her back to the door and leaned against it as she pressed her tiny body to its expansive form, trying to avoid rain drops trailing down her neck as she glanced up at the darkening sky. It was another long day that held nothing but rain and storms for the villagers and she sighed, thankful to have been given a day off for the events that had occurred the previous day. She knew that her weapon would be out of comission for a while as it was repaired in the forge and she was not too keen on using a substitute that she was unfamilar with.

The sound of the heavy door being unbolted forced her away from it and she shifted from foot to foot nervously as she watched as Sanosuke peered out with an overtly alert expression before he gestured her in. She slipped in through the doorway and watched as he re-latched the locks after slamming the door shut. Ro peered around the small downstairs floor and realized that things were not out of place nor seemingly disturbed. Kaoru and Sanosuke, as far as she knew, had always maintained a neat and orderly home and it was rare to find things askew. She had assumed that the delegation from Central had come through searching for Kaoru or demanding further answers about whatever may had happened the previous day in the forest. Ro herself had, had the delegation rummage through her cozy home after her partner perished and remembered it had taken the better part of a week to reorder everything and make it presentable once again.

"Watch your step," He warned and she looked down to find her foot perfectly placed within a flour circle on the floor. She glanced up at him sheepishly as though apologizing for nearly messing it up and she stepped out of it delicately as she moved to the side. Her blue eyes took it in critically as she nodded at the dimensions and the scrawl of the incantation before looking back at Sanosuke who was watching her from his place at the door.

"So you two did take the preventative measures," Ro said quietly as her rich Southern accent reached Sanosuke's ears. Sanosuke gave her a passing glance as he ran a hand through his hair messily. "Me too... although my circle's not quite as good."

"Not much of a choice, is there?"

"I'd suppose not," She agreed breezily as she removed her hat and let her blonde hair tumble down her back. She shrugged out of her civilian cloak and folded it over her arm carefully and looked back at the taller patroller. "And Kaoru? She told me to get over here as soon as possible. Did something happen? Where is she?"

Sanosuke's eyes were dark as he looked back at the blonde with a suffered look as he propped himself onto the sofa and rested his head on his hands as he shook his head. Ro was friendly with the older patroller and they often coincided when she worked the night shift but she had always seen the epitome of control and discipline radiate from the man in terms of their labour and profession. The Sanosuke she saw before her was one that seemed frazzled and disoriented—something that she chalked up to being problematic because for him to lose his cool outward control was significant and upsetting to much greener patrollers. She herself found her nerves fraying lightly at the mere thought of a more experienced patroller seemingly bothered by some unseen force.

"There's _a lot_ of weird shit going on," Sanosuke grumbled from between his hands. "I don't know where to begin, but... _damn_ , Ro, we're in deep shit."

"Is Kaoru okay?" Ro's voice was tight but woven with threads of concern for her friend. She was unsure as to if Kaoru had commented the warning from Tomoe to Sanosuke and Ro decided it was not the time to add another layer of complexity to an already seemingly tense situation. The blonde knew that Sanosuke and Kaoru were both autonomous and interdependent on each other and they supported each other in the changing conditions in which everyone was living. When she had questioned Sanosuke about the more intricate workings of their relationship, he had laughed it off and said it was purely friendship and he considered her to be the little sister he had never had and had never realized he wanted. He had taken a subtle mentoring role in Kaoru's early formative days in the patrol division and then a dependable partner when they were paired up on occasion. Ro was also aware that Megumi had requested that Kaoru keep an eye on Sanosuke and vice-versa: the other woman having had to step temporarily out of the picture and unable to ensure that the other two lived a decent standard of living.

"Kaoru—I'm not sure," He finally answered. "Like I said, there's a lot of _strange_ things happening." Ro's eyes were neutral as she stared at the patroller before lowering her gaze to stare down at the circle of flour that seemed to stare mockingly back up at her. To her the atmosphere read as heavy and she knew that there was something arwy in the fabric of situation and it sat heavily on her gut. Her mind was slowly connecting the dots together and she was unsure if she was arriving to a conclusion that was comfortable for her to wrap her head around as she sighed.

"She's _not_ hurt then?"

"She _is_ ," Sanosuke answered and Ro jerked her head up. "It's taken care of—at least for now...nothing some healing salve won't fix. Just some burning. That's not the problem. Well, it _is_ a problem, but not _the_ problem." Ro stared at him numbly as she listened to his rambling and she felt more dots being connected and disjointed as the map of the state of confusion she was embarking through seemed to expand even more.

"So, what's the problem?" Ro questioned as her tone turned insistent and she rested her hands on her hips as she gave Sanosuke a prying look that made the male patroller shrug as he finally lifted his head and stared back at the blonde. Ro made a movement to go ascend the staircase and see what was causing her friend to panic but she stopped when she saw Sanosuke gesture for her to stay a few more moments as though he were not finished with speaking with her.

"When you two were in the forest yesterday, did you see anything weird?"

"Besides the light box and the vizinho?" Ro questioned as she tilted her head. She knew that Sanosuke could be trusted with the information and she knew he would not indulge anyone else in the finer details of what had happened the previous day. Ro had already spun an abridged version of the events to the division leaders at the Long House and she knew she had to fill Kaoru in so that they did not accidentally volunteer any incriminating evidence against them.

"Besides the light box," Sanosuke confirmed and then added, "And the vizinho."

"Well…" Ro relaxed her stance as she launched into a quick explanation about the light that they had spotted when they were sheltering themselves from the rain and later pursued through the forest. She did not skip any details as she commented on the fact that both of them had felt spikes of spiritual energy in the surrounding area and that they had witnessed the great beam of light that had incinerated the beast that was about to crush Kaoru to death. Sanosuke nodded tiredly through her explanation as his mind pieced together the fragments of Ro's testimony, Kaoru's retelling of the events, and what he had been living for the last few hours. There were things that overlapped and things that seemed different based on the narrator's re-telling but the burly fighter digested the information as he, too, began to pull everything together into some semblence of an understanding of the events.

"I guess in the end, we never figured out what that light was or where it came from," Ro murmured softly as her blue eyes seemed distant momentarily before she looked over at the staircase with tired eyes. "Whatever it was, it gave us enough of an opening. If it hadn't happened, Kaoru wouldn't have gotten off with just a few stitches."

"The problem just gets worse from here on out," Sanosuke said neutrally.

"What do you mean ' _worse_ '?" Ro inquired as she brushed her blonde hair from her face and looked at Sanosuke with questioning eyes that spelled a whirling fear within the celestial blue taller male was silent as he stared at the woman that waited patiently for him to elaborate on what he had just uttered. They knew between the patroller division that sharing information was necessary and important but the personal aspects made it a bit more complex. There was a very fine line that they toed when involving their co-patrollers and Sanosuke knew that, that line had long since been erased when Kaoru and Ro became close friends.

"Kaoru was attacked in the clearing this morning by an _Espina_ -class creature."

* * *

Time felt as though it had stopped momentarily as she watched the red-head man topple over and fall to the ground in a tangle of limbs and a ripped cloak. His body was splayed out and he rested faced down, his face pressed into the mud of the clearing as it sunk into the remains from the rain soaked earth. He was unmoving, just as the _Espina_ a few meters away from him was, and Kaoru felt her throat catch as she contemplated what course of action would be the most appropriate.

Morally, Kaoru pondered, she knew that this individual had snatched her from the jaws of a lethal and painful death and she carried a huge debt to pay. Her pride as a Northerner would not allow such a reverent act go unpaid and she knew that skimping out on that would be frowned upon and plague her mind. Despite the dire circumstances that she and her people lived in under Central's rule, they had pride and left no debt unpaid. It often resulted in intricate social bonds and bizarre social connotations that would seem strange to those looking into the insular mentality of the North but it bound the villagers together and created a forced kinship between many.

Logically, Kaoru thought, this man was wearing strange clothing not of their lands or any of the other territories controlled by Central—which automatically made him much more suspicious and she should treat him as an intruder. The Northern villages were occasionally visited by foreigners from the neighbouring state and although they were generally treated with mistrust, they were tolerated for the duration of their stay. Kaoru knew that they never stayed very long, the harsh climate and the coldness of the people driving many away to the more Southern villages on the plains. Kaoru was unsure as to what nation or state this man reigned from or why he was dressed poorly for the weather, but she felt her suspicions spike dangerously as she eyed him with a mistrustful eye as she tried to assess where he potentially could have come from.

Reaching into the wicker backpack, she selected a sizeable stick that had a sharp enough point to it that she could inflict a nasty jab if needed. Steeling her reserve once more as she gathered her courage and her sense of investigation and the thrill of data collection, Kaoru rose to her feet and temporarily blocked her mind to the arduous pain as she slowly sauntered towards the male that was lying face down on the ground. She angled it in her hand as she took the blunter side of it and poked him gently to see if he would react or at least stir at her prodding. When his body remained unmoving, she grimaced as a bead of sweat formed on her brow and she nudged him once more just to confirm that he was deeply asleep.

"Hello?" She managed to rasp out between cracked lips. " _Hello?_ " He was still unresponsive and she sat back on her haunches as she fiddled with the stick between her hands as she contemplated her options. Her cloak clung to her and the smell of the noxious Espina-class creature lingered in the air and she felt disgusting just as she felt disgusted with herself for allowing herself to be put into such a position of vulnerability when she was more than capable of defending herself. It was a blow to her pride that she knew so much about the creature and how to best secure a victory over it but had been reduced to being saved by a strange foreigner. In her good conscious and the mere belief that she still harboured a human heart, she was gravitating towards the conclusion of either leaving him out here in the exposure of the cool bitterness of the Tereré's elements or she would somehow get him to the house she shared with Sanosuke to at least ensure he was not hit with a bout of frostbite.

As she twirled the stick around her in hands absent-mindedly, she took advantage of the fact he was unconscious to study his face down figure. He really was no bigger than her but from what she could pick out from the lumps of muscle that protruded from the folds of his ancient cloak, he was wiry and well built. She admired the colour of his flame red hair, having never seen such a shade of crimson in her life of muted greys and blacks of the Northern skyline, and she resisted the biting the urge to touch it. She felt her heart go out to him when she noticed the clumps of knots that had formed in his rich locks and knew it would need a severe brushing or to be cut if it could not be untangled. She saw in that rich shade of red a reminder of a full spectrum of things: freshly spilled blood, the occasional bell pepper, and the poppy flowers that decorated the flags of Central.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" She whispered as she felt the tell-tale signs of rain threatening to pour down upon them and she grunted as the first droplets hit her burning skin. She knew that she would have to have Sanosuke or the medical brigade look at her newest injuries but she opted to have her friend examine her new wounds instead. There would be too many questions asked by the medics and she did not want to involve anyone else in the drama that was slowly unfolding within her mind with a very defined centre orbiting the existence of this red headed stranger. She was still weary from the previous evening's events and knew that a secondary visit to the medics would only spark curious questions where they were not needed. She also knew that Sanosuke would be far from impressed, considering he was still steaming from her actions yesterday, but she also was keenly aware that this man without any documentation or identification on him would be prisoned and interrogated if not tortured by the military police.

She sighed once again as she reached over gently and pushed her hands against his side, rolling him over so that he was facing upward. As she imagined, his face was stained with the muddy remains of the rain and his eyes were closed serenely. His chest did not seem to move and she panicked at the thought that he had stopped breathing. She tentatively placed her head against his chest, her hair draping over him in a tangle of midnight blue, and she ripped it away immediately upon hearing a steady and strong heartbeat. Kaoru swallowed deeply as she crouched back and crossed her arms as she took in his slumbering face: How can he have a heartbeat but not be breathing? Her medical knowledge was limited but she was utterly confused as how his heartbeat resounded so strongly yet his chest revealed no breathing pattern.

His eyes were peaceful and unmoving, his mouth slack and not holding any tension in his jaw. To the normal untrained eye, he looked like any other human who was enjoying a peaceful rest and gave no signs of something being painfully off about his existence. Kaoru's face soured as she sneezed while studying him further. The patroller in her was also a keen observer and enjoyed the details of newly discovered objects or flora and this was no exception: to her, this was a curious and novelty species that she had never encountered and the pull of duty reared its head and told her to observe as much as she could while he was unmoving. She would have given anything to have access to a notebook to scribble her notes down and sketch him out but she knew that would have to take secondary priority.

Her blue eyes roamed over his body and she saw between the snatches of the red fabric of his cloak that his arms and chest were littered with scars that varied in size and width. The topography of his torso that she was studying intensely made her blush slightly but she pushed it down as she looked at the hand that had made contact with the _Espina_. Her eyes narrowed momentarily as she reached for his hand and slowly lifted it from the ground, raising it to her eye level to study the bizarre marks that criss-crossed his palm. They were unlike any hands she had ever seen: there were angry rusty red lines that formed an intricate pattern that had no meaning to her but they seemed to be sealed into his skin. She could tell that they had been there for a significant amount of time and she frowned as she traced one of her own fingers over the fierce lines.

"Who are you?" She whispered as she felt another rain drop splatter against her before she grunted. It was a question that demanded an immediate answer but she resolved herself to first get them out of the rain and safely tucked away somewhere within the confines of the village so that they would not fall ill from being exposed to the elements. Sparing a quick glance to the Espina class creature that seemed to be discarded to the side, she deemed it safe enough to try and move the man away form the forest clearing and she had already began to plan a route in her mind. She puffed her chest out as she slid over to the wicker backpack and put it on her small frame in reverse as she slowly sank down to her knees and into the mud.

"You're coming with me," Kaoru murmured as she considered the best way to lift him. He truly was no larger than she was but she knew that muscle was heavier than fat and she knew she was skirting dangerously close to her reckless side. Herself being injured and needing medical attention was already a bad sign but she did not trust herself to leave him alone out in the open in a village that was not his own. She grit her teeth together as she reached down and propped him to an upright sitting position before she angled herself behind him so that their backs were touching. Looping her arms through his, she heaved him up as best as she could, thankful that the wicker backpack acted as a counterweight and helped her stabilize, and she tried to adjust his body against hers to a functional position that would allow her to carry him back to Tereré's residential district. His feet ended up dragging in the mud but she was unable to position himself any better on her small back and had to make due with the awkward movement that a normally graceful fighter such as herself abhored.

She cast a look at the precious oil lamp but decided to abandon it for the moment as she knew that she could not ferry anything else back to the house and she sighed at the verbal lashing that Sanosuke would give her for leaving such a commodity behind. Kaoru took a steady step forward as her burned skin protested but she pushed down the urge to yelp in pain as she took another plodding step forward. Her body was off balance and the daunting combination of the searing pain and the foreign weight on her back made it an uncomfortable journey for herself as she grit her teeth and braced her muscles accordingly. She moved forward with a determined step as she knew that reaching home was her only objective.

The normal five minute walk took close to forty and she was only half way there when she spotted Sanosuke standing at an intersection appearing to be searching for cloaked figure wrapped in his white garb was a stark contrast to the dark hues of the village and Kaoru nearly cried out when she saw him. When he caught sight of his friend and the mysterious individual slumped over her back and shoulders, he jogged up to her in the now falling rain and reached out to right her balance as he glanced at the precious cargo she was saddled with upon her back.

Without saying a word, knowing that he would have plenty of time to do so when they arrived home, he wordlessly stepped around her and accepted the slumping body of the red head into his own arms and hefted him over his shoulder like a sack of soggy potatoes. Kaoru, too shocked to protest the jarring movements of Sanosuke, plodded along slowly as Sanosuke moved quickly to their house to avoid being seen by the first residents waking up and peering out their windows.

As they reached their house and Kaoru shoved the front door open with a might heave, taking care to step over the flour circle on the floor, Sanosuke passed her in silence as he carried the other male up the stairs and deposited him clumsily into an arm chair that he had pushed into the corner of his own bedroom. Sanosuke felt Kaoru approach him from behind and he turned to look down at her with a face that was a cross between irritation, anger, and misbelief as he uttered only two words: " _Talk. Now."_

* * *

"Eh, that's so like you!" A musical voice pipped up with a laugh that sounded like crystal chimes billowing in the wind. The voice's vowels were drawn out and had a certain twang to them that was not entirely unplesant. "You would take notes in your field notebook!" The laughter was soft and gentle as it seemed to tease another presence that he was able to sense. "Nice drawings though—although I think his left arm is a bit shorter. I've never seen hair that colour either, to be honest."

"Well, considering he's not from the North," A rough male voice cut in as it sounded impatient and slightly defeated. The gruff voice seemed to belong to someone who was easily big in stature but still had an affection undertone to his voice as it was directed to the same presence that seemed to linger in his mind's eye. The voice seemed to hold a smidge of mirth as he felt eyes regarding him with a predatory deadliness that hinted that he was in the presence of someone who had the potential to be a great warrior as well as threat.

"Look at him though!" The third voice finally said as hints of excitement, awe, and gentleness crept into her tone. He immediately recognized the voice and placed in with the girl that he had seen in the clearing about to be skewered by the creature. "I've never seen another one like him! Did you see the marks on his hand?" He felt someone, unsure as to which of the three lifeforms within the immediate proximity, reach for his hand and turn it upwards. "These are marks in a different language—which one did you say it was again?"

"It looks like runes," The first voice replied in a whisper as fingers started to trace patterns on his hand. The sensation was not unwelcome nor was it hostile: he perceived it as authentic curiosity to whatever they were studying upon his hand. The voices were not speaking of anything that sent of alarm bells and he felt his body and soul ease into a comfortable lulling state as he tried to tune into their conversation to try and assemble bits and pieces of information.

"Funny looking runes though," The first female voice commented as a slip of doubt bled into her voice. "The few times that I've seen them they had always been very tightly and neatly written. These ones seem to be written in a much more flowery way—no idea what they say though. This isn't the old language from the South or Central."

"Or the North," The third voice added. "His clothes aren't from here either."

"I don't know where they're from," The male voice spoke once more. "I've never seen this type of fabric before—and considering how he's dressed? Damned bastard must have something wrong with him if he thinks he'd be able to last more than a few hours outside. The cloth isn't water repellant." He felt the hand that was tracing patterns on his own withdraw quietly and his hand settled back at his side as a warm layer of wool was pulled over him.

"I've made some sketches of his hand and the runes here," The third female voice said to the other two and he heard the rustling of what sounded to be paper. "I don't know who would know how to read these though…"

"Megumi might," The male said. "If not, then she would at least know someone. She's pretty connected on that end."

"Shame she's in Central at the moment," The first voice chimed in with a sigh as he heard the creaking of wood surround her voice. "And she is not coming back to Tereré until the solstice at least! We may have to wait a while."

"You're assuming that this guy doesn't even wake up," The third voice pointed out. "I'm pretty sure that he would know what is written on his hand, don't you?" The first voice gave a grunt in response and the third voice giggled lightly at the response from the first one. He felt his brow furrow at such a statement but his body remained motionless as he continued to enjoy the temporary comatose state his body was submitted to as he seemed to float in a sea of comfort and soothing waves that washed over him and took the ache away. He did not want to leave the cocoon of safety of his internal workings and was content with listening to the three voices and their words. Their language was similar to his but the three had vastly different accents and he was baffled by such nonsense.

"When he does wake up, what are you going to do?" The first voice asked. "Especially you, Kaoru?"

"Dunno, but the moment anyone in the Delegation sniffs him out, we're all in trouble," The male voice said pointedly. "I'm not against him resting here for a bit but the sooner he is out of here, the better it is for us. We already have enough damned problems with you two and your adventures from yesterday in the forest:we can't afford to have anything _else_ catching the government's attention."

"That's true," The first voice sighed.

"I just don't want to leave him out in the cold and rain," The third voice called Kaoru said quietly. "Especially because he did save me from the _Espina_ —I do carry a debt with him now. Tradition and all. I guess when he wakes up we can figure out what he was doing around here—or at _least_ give him some proper clothes and send him in the right direction." The voice sounded deeply concerned and off-put and he felt his soul flare up at such a mix of emotions that seemed to roll off the female in a gentle tide. She herself did not sound like a bad person and he recognized her as the woman that he had aided when the creature was circling her dangerously. He remembered blue eyes that stared at him in confusion and wonder at who he was and he recognized that she was the one who had asked who he was.

"Well, until he wakes up, we can't do anything other than make observations and make sure that he's comfortable," The first female voice said with a sniff and he heard another rustling of paper and something scratching against the brittle surface. "Shame nobody here is a medic that hates Central—we might be able to get some more data on him. He's obviously not human, we've figured that much out. But medics see the world with different eyes."

"But he's not a vizinho," The male voice spoke up once again. "Far from it. From what I can see, he's all human in looks and the only thing that's off about him are the markings on his hand." The voice silenced itself as it made a sound in its throat and seemed to rise from its chair before sliding through the door. In the distance there was a whistling sound and the man had gone to attend to it before it annoyed them all to bits.

"And he only has runes markings on the one hand, his right one," The third voice said. "So, if he's not a human, not a vizinho... what _is_ he?" The two remaining voices and their owners fell silent as he could feel two sets of eyes staring down upon him and his body in questioning ways that made him feel insignificant under such skepticism. The voices were bringing up questions that he knew he would be unable to indulge in because he, too, lacked the answers that they sought. The fact that he was temporarily being housed within the village was something that brought him relief and he knew that the one called Kaoru would not allow harm to come over him as long as it was within her control. To what extent she had control he was clueless about, but she and her companions were benign and seemed mum with letting his body recuperate.

"I'm not sure," The first voice answered, "I've never seen anything like this."

"Do you think he's dangerous?" The one called Kaoru asked in a whisper.

"I doubt it," The first voice replied jovially. "Saving you from an _Espina-_ class vizinho? I don't think many from outside the village would go out of there way to do that. He has no allegiance to Tereré, so… maybe a friendly stranger? Still, it could have been just a case of right place, right time. I guess, I don't know, really."

"He looks so calm and peaceful," Kaoru said quietly as he felt a hand brush against his bangs, parting them from his face. Her hands were calloused and rough, a sign that she was someone who worked the Earth, but they moved with such tenderness and tentativeness he was nearly moved to opening his eyes to meet her own. "I would hate to think what would happen if Central got their hands on him."

"You've got a real situation on your hands, Kaoru," The first voice remarked dryly. "You and Sanosuke can't hide him forever—eventually someone is going to see him or say something. He might look human enough but you know how things are here. Remember how they used to stare at me for being a foreigner?" The voice was lacking in compassion as it seemed to tighten significantly.

Yes, I remember," Kaoru murmured as with withdrew her hand from his hair. "I don't know what we're going to do… the best we can hope for is for him to wake up and give us some answers." A retreating sound of footsteps caught his attention as the owner of the first voice seemed to make her way towards the doorway and freeze there momentarily before being joined once again by the male who was muttering something about tea and lacking rations.

"He should stay hydrated," The male commented abruptly as he seemed to set down a tray somewhere close to his head. "There's a medicinal blend there that Megumi left us, ain't much, but we don't have anything else that will do. We can't go to the medical brigade and ask for anything without them asking questions."

"I can check my house to see if I have anything I can part with to help you two," The first voice chirped as her long vowels seemed strained and tired. "Central still hasn't cut my rations down to one because of snags in the paperwork, so I've got some extra food that I can spare to the cause. Just… let me know what you're going to do, you two. I can help as best as I can… but you have to be super careful."

"I know," Kaoru murmured in response. "We just are a bit stagnant at the moment."

"Also, your skin is peeling on your neck," The first voice pointed out as concern seeped into her voice. "I know you used Megumi's salve, but… it looks bad, Kaoru. Doesn't it hurt? Your skin is turning yellow and it looks like it hurts…"

" _Eh_? Yellow?" Kaoru's voice was wrought with confusion at her words. At the mere mention of the skin that seemed to be peeling and shedding yellow colour, the smell of the _Espina_ vizinho's toxic saliva hit his nose and he wrinkled it in his sleep as the odour invaded his senses unpleasantly. It was the smell of something acrid and destructive and it saddened him greatly: the delicate skin of the defenceless woman was slowly being eaten away by the acidic properties of the beast's saliva when she had done no wrong that merited such a horrid condition.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the medical brigade?" The first voice asked quietly. "As good as Megumi's medicines are, this may go a bit beyond what her salves can do."

"I can't, Ro, they're going to ask too many questions," Kaoru protested.

"That could be a good thing—they're probably going to ask why there was an _Espina_ class vizinho in a supposed safe zone and we'll get the lazy patroller who messed up onto the chopping block," The one now called Ro said and he could almost imagine a crooked smile. "They'll probably also wonder why you didn't go immediately to report it and your injuries- and if the vizinho's body is still there, they will probably ask how you… yeah, _sorry_. Bad idea." She grunted heartily and Kaoru sighed at her friend's realizations.

"I'll head back to the house but I'll come by this afternoon," Ro relented. "I'll try to stop by the medical brigade to see if I can at least get something for you—can't promise much though. I'm not the best liar with those guys."

"Alright," Kaoru said tiredly. "Sorry to drag you into this, Ro."

"Hey, don't worry about it, really," Ro said quietly as he heard her rest a steady hand on Kaoru's body. "Remember, when we signed up for this, we knew exactly what we were getting into. Well, maybe not… _this_ , but… we knew our lives were never going to be the same. This is a journey from which there is no return, you know?" There was a silence between the two women that he could not understand nor read given that they must have been looking at each other but it was not uncomfortable. If he had to pinpoint a certain emotion to attribute to the voices' owners, there was a certain confidence and intimacy that they seemed to share between the three of them yet there were blurred lines that were not crossed out of respect.

"I'll be back later," The one called Ro finally said as she broke the silence and the sound of boots thudding against the floor punctuated the air.

"I'll see her out," The male voice finally spoke. "Are you going to hang around here?"

"For a bit longer," The one called Kaoru answered. "Maybe he'll wake up."

"Wouldn't count on it, he looks exhausted," The male voice said reservedly. "Whenever you're ready, Missy, we can have a look at those acid burns. Ro's right—you can't slap some salve on that sort of thing. Let's see if we can at least clean it."

"Alright," Kaoru relented as he heard her shift her chair closer to him. The familiar sound of paper rustling caught his attention once again and he heard her writing utensil against the paper, a long arc being drawn and smaller lines that did not make sense in his subconscious state. The scritch-scratch against the paper was soothing and harmless as he heard her humming under her throat, somesort of tune that was unknown to him but seemed to spill from her naturally like water into a fresh spring. There were no more words from her, just a lulling melody that seemed to wrap around him and assure him that he was safe and he was not in hostile territory for the moment.

The gentle etching on her paper was the last thing that registered in his mind as his senses extinguished once again and everything fell into a darker-than-black hue and the world stopped spinning beneath his feet momentarily.

* * *

A/N: A little bit shorter in terms of word count, the next one will be a bit more sizable as well as have some interaction between Kenshin and Kaoru finally! As you can see, Megumi is part of the cast as well, but she'll show up a bit later. For now, as always, thank you for the reviews and remember: I don't own the characters, but I like to use them for my own bidding!

As a side note, I will finish fleshing out the world by the tenth chapter and then the real plot kicks in. This world has to be carefully built for the purposes I need it to serve, so please be patient! :D

This chapter was heavily inspired by the song _Aske Maite, Aske Bizi_ by **Gatibu** -a band from the Spanish Basque Country. The song's title translates roughly to 'Love Freely, Live Freely'. The chapter's nexus is drawn from the lyrics that go something like:

 _"We were just two torches facing each other,_

 _there's a melody that we hear from faraway._

 _The night is calling out to us and,_

 _Its secrets are for us tonight."_

Anyway, as always, don't forget to review! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter VI

Memory

"May your journey overflow with memories and reality."

* * *

"Hold still and stop moving so much," Megumi warned as she smacked Kaoru over the shoulder, much to the younger woman's annoyance, but she conformed with her friend's instructions. "It's already hard to tie these stupid cords as it is, you wiggling around makes it that much worse."

"Sorry," Kaoru retorted hotly as she shot Megumi a tempered look that would have melted the strongest of steels in the forge. "It's not often that I'm forced to wear these sorts of clothes." Megumi's response was to tighten the bodice piece so that it rested snuggly against Kaoru's torso and it settled at the flare of her hips. Kaoru grunted as Megumi braced her knee against her back and pulled even tighter so that it would fit perfectly.

" _Hey_ , are you trying to kill me?" Kaoru yelped as she felt even more constricted and annoyed by the tightening of the garment. Megumi gave her a haughty look as she worked her hands in well practiced motions to fashion the appropriate knot to tie the bodice piece. Kaoru felt her lungs whine as she felt her air intake reduce significantly but Megumi ignored her query as she moved her hands to Kaoru's shoulder blades and straightened the white blouse that was customary of the traditional garb they had been wearing.

"I'm not trying to _kill_ you per-say," Megumi replied cheerfully as she smoothed the fabric of the white material before her hands glided down Kaoru's back and tucked the looser folds into the bodice. "I'm trying to remind you that beauty is suffering—and you don't seem to have suffered enough!" Kaoru chortled at her friend's explanation but remained silent as she felt the folds of her long skirt being examined by Megumi's eagle-eye for minute details.

"Besides, today is an important day—all of us have to dress up and look our best for the occasion," Megumi said softly as her voice swung between her teasing persona to a much more solemn one. Kaoru was silent as she felt the giddy atmosphere between the two of them drop like a heavy rock hefted into the stream and she clutched her hands together. Glancing down at them, she frowned at the red, white, and gold ribbons that had been fastened to her wrists: they were not Tereré's celadon and cream colour scheme but rather the colours of their newest government that insisted that unity spread throughout the country. The female citizens had received the ribbons with the instructions to tie them to their wrists and the men were issued a pin of the same colours to be fastened to the lapels of their jackets.

The two eighteen year olds were sitting in the warm room of Megumi's family home as they helped each other dress in the cumbersome clothing of the Northern villages that was only brought out on occasions. Such garments were carefully handmade and tailored to the citizen and the expectation was set that they were to be used during the solstices and the Victory Day that had recently been banned by the Central government due to it propagating alleged lies about the lore surrounding the Victory of the Harsh North. Kaoru had stuck her nose in the air at such behaviour, Megumi had blanched and sounded off about how it would alienate the Northern villages from an already polarizing regime that ruled them from the comfort of Central.

"I just don't know what to do with your hair," Megumi said with a dramatic sigh as she eyed Kaoru's hair that was held up in a simple ponytail. "You're too old for the braids… I suppose we can just tie it up and that will do it." She ruffled her fingers through Kaoru's lush tresses and she commented on how it was a shame that Kaoru's beautiful hair was wasted away in ponytails when it could have been fashioned into many different styles. Kaoru brushed it away and reminded her that her training as a patroller did not allow her the time or the energy to worry about such feminine things and she strove for the practicality of the simple ponytail.

"That's right, because your heads are all shoved under those stupid red caps to show that you're part of such an exclusive division," Megumi said dryly.

"Well," Kaoru began as she leaned back and bumped the crown of her head against Megumi's belly. "Not all of us can be doctors, now can we?" Megumi's eyes narrowed at her friend's accusation that Megumi had benefited greatly from favouritism when their school had been shuttered closed and all the students were relegated to different fields of work as assigned by the government in Central. Kaoru had originally been assigned to the survey corps because it was the default for students who lacked in any academic promise but Megumi had been one of the few lucky ones that had been assigned to work under the tutelage of the medical brigade and would finish out her practicals in Central. When it came to light that Megumi was part of one of the wealthier families of Tereré dedicated to studying medicine, she was whisked away from the mere threat of having to sully her hands in the forest and placed under the care of various instructors.

Kaoru was well aware that the fortunes had smiled upon Megumi in those instances because while she would make an excellent doctor and be able to apply her knowledge to Tereré's populous, she knew that it was just another cog in the wheel of favouritism that Central seemed to be fuelled by as it ruthlessly delegated dangerous tasks to its youngest members of society. Central had sung phrases to the youth and its ability to adapt to any circumstances, allowing for the growth of the country in the face of international pressure but the youth were painstakingly conscious of the fact that it was a rouse to reduce numbers by picking off the weakest parts of society that would not be wiped out as easily by disease as the elderly would.

"How is that training going anyway? I heard there's only two women," Megumi commented as she ignored Kaoru's jab at her assigned profession. "I can't believe _you_ actually signed up for that."

"It's alright, I guess," Kaoru answered lightly as she watched Megumi slowly work her magic as she styled her hair into a lovely piece on the crown of her head. "There's a lot of people that think we won't made it for the final examinations or we'll fail spectacularly."

"I've heard rumours that they had to open the selection process to women because there were not enough men that volunteered for it," Megumi muttered as she removed an elastic band from her wrist and secured the first part of Kaoru's hair into place. "Is that true?"

"It's not a job that a lot of people want," Kaoru replied slowly and thoughtfully as she tried to maintain the minimal amounts of importance to such a gruelling profession. She herself knew that when she was signing up for the selection process that it would be back-breakingly difficult and she would be exposed to the elements constantly. Megumi had tried to talk her out of it but Kaoru had refused with a crooked smile and said she needed to move away from the surveying division for her own personal reasons. When Megumi demanded that she elaborate on why Kaoru would make such a stupid decision, Kaoru had just continued to smile at her in an absent-minded way before changing the subject to something else.

"Obviously," Megumi pointed out. "Sanosuke has never been the same."

"We're going to be assigned residential quarters together:I've actually never met him you know," Kaoru remarked lightly, to which Megumi dropped the hair pins that she was grasping between her knuckles. Kaoru did not even wince at the pins clattered to the floor and she kept her gaze straight. She knew that Sanosuke and Megumi were relatively close but she herself had never met him and had only seen him from a distance in the Long House.

" _What_?" She hissed.

"My house is being appropriated by the Delegation and there isn't anything I can do about it unless I want to go to jail for not conforming to the law," Kaoru said blankly as she herself had already accepted that she would lose the last thing that had tied her to her family. She had spent the better part of her last few days packing up the boxes and the chests, sorting what could be thrown away and what needed to be stored, as well as cleaning the house that she had occupied since her father had vanished.

"But without your father's confirmed death—"

"—They _don't_ care," Kaoru interrupted sharply as her voice tightened. "I was given the order last week to vacate the house by the end of the month. It is going to be taken and reassigned to the newest attaches from the Central government due to its proximity to the city centre. There's nothing I can do." Megumi's hands dropped to her sides as she felt the shock of her normally feisty friend's personality showing an oddly tame and resigned side that made her uncomfortable. Kaoru was almost rendered unrecognizable and she had calmed herself in many ways since her father was disappeared in the forest and she had lost a lot of the spark that drew many to her.

"Kaoru! How can you let them take your house?" Megumi accused as she bent down and tried to collect the pins that she needed to complete her friend's hair. "That was the last thing that was under your father's name! Besides, they're breaking their own laws! Everyone knows that the government is not allowed to appropriate residential property unless the owner is deemed deceased."

"Well, maybe _'disappeared'_ is synonymous with ' _deceased_ ," Kaoru said heatedly. "I've tried to think of everything under the sun to keep my family home, Megumi, but there's nothing that I can do! I don't have any way of going against the courts and the government's rule. Do you think I'm happy handing over my family's house to Central?"

"No, I suppose you aren't," Megumi said stiffly. "But why didn't you tell me?"

"Would it have made a difference?" Kaoru asked as the words seemed forced out of her mouth. "There's nothing that you can do either. Why would I want to involve more people in these types of affairs if there's nothing that anyone can do? Central does what it pleases, Megumi—you might not see it in the medical brigade the same way that we see it on the ground, but they do whatever they want as long as it benefits them!" Kaoru felt her voice sink deep within the recesses of her throat as her mind blew ahead of her and her anger simmered.

"You get to work within the comfort of the village and eat three meals a day that are nourishing and filling," Kaoru whispered harshly through her teeth as she knew the stinging words would hurt Megumi and strain their friendship at the brutal honestly that laced each word. "You have a warm home to come back to, you have a family that can afford supplies on the black market, you don't have to worry about being killed in your line of work because you were born fortunate—which seems to be the only way to survive in this world. You never had your house raided during the campaigns, you never had your integrity questioned by mere association with certain people… you have not _suffered_ the same way that many of us have." Kaoru's fists were balled together as she felt her shoulders trembling.

"You may see people die everyday, but they die within the medical brigade's facilities and not out in the mountains bleeding to death on a rock or hallucinating because of some vizinho's poison," Kaoru continued as her voice dropped in tone and the words came through in a bizarre unadulterated form that she rarely used to speak. "You have never seen someone on the survey corps have their bodies ripped apart by a beast that is angry because we intrude and pillage their territory—you may see their bodies after, but you never watch them die in such a way."

" _Kaoru_ ," Megumi said sharply as she sunk her nails into Kaoru's shoulders as she shook her friend lightly. "Kaoru:listen to me! I will not deny that I do have a much more comfortable life compared to the majority of the village: in fact, I am aware that I am fortunate to be able to have opportunities denied to others. This does not mean I am impervious to what happens around me! I do care what happens to my friends who do not have the better end of the stick." She released her nails from Kaoru's flesh and walked around her friend's body so that she could stare her in the eye. "You're incredibly naive to think that I do not suffer; maybe I do not have the same day-to-day struggles, but I, _too_ , suffer immensely.

"You are still the same selfish brat that you were when you were a kid," Megumi said with a note of disgust as she watched Kaoru glower at her from underneath her bangs. "You should get your own thoughts and feelings in line before you attack others out of ignorance. On the surface I seem to live well but my family is reduced to lapping at the feet of Central's whims. It's hardly dignifying to have your freedom of expression and the right to political opinion ripped away from you." She gave Kaoru a caustic look as she tossed the pins onto Kaoru's lap and moved towards the door that lead out into the foyer of her family's house.

"You claim to see suffering everyday yet you put yourself into one of the most dangerous jobs that the village can offer," Megumi said softly as she gave Kaoru a souring look that reached the very corners of her eyes. "No one can understand that sort of behaviour for someone who loathes watching people die and being controlled by the state: you play right into their hands, just as my family and I do. You're no better or worse than me, Kaoru."

And with that the door slammed and Kaoru's vision blurred before fading into black as the warmth of Megumi's house melted away into nothing and she was left with a bitter taste on her tongue that refused to subside.

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open as she felt the dribble of drool that had congregated in her mouth slide forward and pool on the blankets beneath her. Kaoru took a swipe at her face to rid herself of any drool or remains of sleep as she realized that she had folded over and had rested her head on the blanket in the close proximity of the slumbering figure of the red headed foreigner. She felt her cheeks light up like the fairy lights of the solstice as she slowly trailed her gaze up to his face and was relieved to see that he was still in his deep sleep and did not seem to have noticed that she had taken the liberty to sleep along side him.

 _I haven't had that dream in a while,_ She thought absently as she yawned again and raised her head so that it was upright. Glancing out the window, she saw that it was around mid-day by the colouring of the clouds and the activity she could hear on the street below.

 _When did I fall asleep?_ She asked herself as she tried to think back on the last thing she had been doing. Her eyes fell to her notebook that had been carelessly thrown to the floor as she slept and she grunted as she reached down and picked it up. Flipping to the last page where she had been sketching and writing down observational notes, she scanned over her own notes to bring herself back up to speed to see where she had left off in the process of jotting down notes. Her eyes moved intently over the pages and she whispered an ' _ah'_ at the realization that she had been sketching out the runes on his right hand before she had drifted off to sleep.

Kaoru's sketches were extensive as she drew individual segments of the hand before a general overall compilation of the bizarre shapes that seemed to form a part of his skin's landscape. She had separated the runes into potential groupings, organizing them by shape or stroke order but she was unable to advance further given that she could not read them. The shapes were oddly poetic to her trained eye and she appreciated the flowery flourishes that seemed to complement their wandering shapes as opposed to the much more blocky handwriting of contemporary rune language.

Reaching over tentatively with a hawkish expression on her face, she slowly turned his right hand upward again and resumed inspecting it as she splayed his fingers to examine the slivers of skin between his fingers. There was nothing extraordinary about the joints of his hands as she ran her hands over them and realized that they were the same as human hands and his skin was not an unusual texture compared to a normal human's. She could feel rough patches of skin that she assumed were callouses or toughened skin from excessive use or repeated motions, but they were minimal and only slightly intrusive as they tended to gather around the centre of his palm and the tips of his fingers.

"Ten fingers, ten toes," She mused to herself as she replaced his hand momentarily to jot down the minute details into her notebook quickly before she felt her eyes drawn to the cross shaped scar that adorned his left cheek. She had only gotten a minimal glance of it earlier in the clearing and between Sanosuke and Ro's fussing and conversation, she had not revisited it despite the fact it was a very unusual mark.

Leaning in closer, Kaoru felt the sleeves of her shirt brush against the blankets he was nestled under and she looked down at him nervously before leaning a bit further to better study the scar. She noted that the scarred skin was sunk into his cheek as opposed to puffed out, indicating that it was an older injury, and she also noticed that they were not the same length and had different jagged patterns. If she had to guess, the longer of the two scars that ran vertically on his cheek was the older one and it looked to have been an unclean cut. She, being familiar with swords given that her father's family legacy was based on them, calculated that it had been made by a shorter blade that was designed more for cutting as opposed to stabbing. The shorter of the two scars was not as informative but she made note that it was less healed that the other one.

Kaoru had also noticed that the skin that had been previously exposed by the lack of proper winter garments had revealed another map of scars that ran over his torso and she glanced down at the blanket, debating the merits of evaluating the scars to try and see if she could lift any information about the sleeping red head based on what she saw on his body. With a sigh, she decided against it as she slowly eased her way back into the chair and winced when she felt the collar of her shirt rub against the burns from the Espina.

"That's what I forgot," She muttered darkly as she remembered Ro's concern over her skin yellowing like paper and the odour that surely emitted from the pus that was forming beneath the blisters. Kaoru groaned as she realized that she would probably need to clean the wounds and reapply Megumi's salve in order to fight back the risks of infections. Admittedly, despite their tense moments, Megumi had ensured Kaoru and Sanosuke that she left them enough medical concoctions that would serve in her absence and if they did not want to wrangle with the gossipy medical brigade and substandard conditions. She had left them an arsenal of salves, medicinal blends, and extra supplies that she had pilfered from the medical brigade for their own personal use.

Closing her notebook with a snap of her wrist, she sprung up from the chair and deposited the notebook on the table pushed into the corner of Sanosuke's room that was littered with his own oddities and she slinked her way out of bedroom and into the bathroom. Pulling at her shirt with a hiss at the contact of fabric against irritated skin, she managed to loosen the shirt enough to drop it to her mid torso as she turned and stared into the reflecting glass. Ro had been right when she said that the wound looked horrendous: it was a small pus filled balloon that was crusted to her neck with yellowing skin that looked acid eaten and smelled disgusting. The ones on her arm were much smaller yet they still were rank and horrifying to look at. Perhaps because Kaoru had grown used to the smell or she had smelt worse things working out in the forest and mountains, but she had paid little mind to it over the last few hours.

Reaching for a clean towel, she started to consider the option of lancing the blister to at least be able fasten a bandage over it. Glancing around the bathroom, she took stock of what she had available to her: there was a stack of neatly folded towels, a few hygiene products that they had stockpiled over the year such as soap and cleaning paste for their teeth, and there was a knife that Kaoru had stashed away to hack out knots from her hair when they became too unmanageable. She grimaced knowing that they did not have a sterile needle and that the knife would be the implement used to drain the blasted blister that was an unsightly addition to her neck.

"Megumi would kill me," She grunted as she reached up and yanked her hair up into a high ponytail that rested over the front of her chest as she tried to keep in clear from the blister. She groped for the knife and ran it under hot water, praying that it was enough to at least clean off whatever traces remained on the blade. She watched as the water bounced of the steel edge of the blade as it created a bizarre splashing pattern that fascinated her momentarily as she delayed the painful lancing of the blister.

"She would _really_ kill me," She muttered as she knew that they did not have the proper alcohol to sterilize the tool yet they did not have anything else that would serve the purpose she needed it for. Kaoru let the blade soak in the sink for a moment as she backed away from the counter and moved to the small cubby-hole where they had taken to storing various of Megumi's remedies. She pushed aside a few jars and tubes of generic medicine issued by the government as her fingers wrapped loosely around the lid of a pot of healing salve that stank of something foul but worked wonders. She removed it from the cabinet and placed it on the edge of the bathroom sink as she ran through a mental list of what she needed.

"I think that's everything," She murmured. "Oh, no, soap: _duh._ " Kaoru glanced around the bathroom to see if there was an unused bar of clean soap that she could use to clean her hands before going to town on the disgusting blisters but she was unable to locate one. Knowing that she had stashed away a few in her room when Ro had received extras in her rations allocation, she slipped into her room but not before peeking into Sanosuke's to check on the slumbering red head. He had not moved in the few minutes she had left him and she had a sneaking suspicion that he would not be moving any time soon given that he was unresponsive to her prodding while examining him for her notes. She gave a soft smile to herself as she withdrew from the doorway and crept into her own room to procure the soap.

Securing it in her grasp, she moved back towards the bathroom with a cat like stalking movement as she laid the soap on the counter and shut off the hot water. Reaching for one of the two clean towels she had grabbed, she ran the soft cloth over the edge of the blade as she stared at her solemn blue eyes that stared back at her. As her reflection glinted in the dulled steel of the blade, she caught the rings around her eyes from a lack of proper rest as well as an overall look of tiredness that went beyond the physicality of the world and latched to her most inner thoughts. She was tired, she knew, and she was growing much more jaded as the time dragged on and raced against her uncomfortably.

"Kaoru!" Sanosuke's voice from the foot of the stairs called and she jerked her attention towards the doorway that allowed her to glimpse at the spikes of his hair. "C'mere a second!" Kaoru set the knife down on the towel and wrapped it within the folds of cloth as she exited the bathroom once more and limped down the staircase.

"What are you looking for?" She asked as she was greeted with the view of Sanosuke rummaging through old documents that she had brought from her childhood home. He had neatly stacked some of the old tomes and volumes that were dearly handwritten with the utmost care and he was now sorting through some of the looser papers that were bound with twine. They had been carefully tucked away into the available space they had at the moment and had gone undisturbed for a spell as they gradually made the house both of theirs as opposed to just a hollow where they lived and slept.

"I used to have an old book that I brought from Capozana," Sanosuke answered. "It was like an almanac from before the campaigns and it documented a lot of things from neighbouring countries like trade and products." Kaoru leaned against the sofa as he dug around the cabinet messily, setting aside some of the books that she knew her father had penned from his own professional career. Her blue eyes were curious as she watched Sanosuke stretch his hand deep into the confines of the cabinet.

"Do you think an almanac from Capozana will have some information?" She asked curiously. Capozana was the furtherest of the Northern villages and Sanosuke's home village. The expression that flitted across Sanosuke's face was anything but confident but he did not voice his answer as he continued to sort through the cupboard. Sanosuke's village, Capozana, was the furthest village in the Northern region as well as the closest to the borders that had long since been closed. Before Central had taken over the country, the village—small, but important—had, had a bustling economy that was based on trading hard to get goods with the neighbouring country as well as a vibrant attraction to people looking to capitalize in the import and export industries. However, Central had closed down the borders and shut down immigration checks, making it impossible to enter or leave their nation through Capozana.

"Well?" Kaoru prodded.

"It might be better than nothing," Sanosuke finally spoke. "We don't have that much material information to work with and until he wakes up, we need to at least try and see if there is anything we can figure out. We don't know who is it or where he is from—or what his relation or opinions of humans are." Sanosuke's voice was oddly calm and reserved as he reasoned with Kaoru and she shrugged.

"Call me naive, but him saving me from an Espina-class seems to scream that he does not hate humans," Kaoru pointed out.

"That could be, but people usually have ulterior motives," Sanosuke replied breezily. "Considering how things are in the country, he could have done it knowing he could benefit from it later on. You know, debts binding our society?" Kaoru crossed her arms, mindful of her injured one, and tilted her head thoughtfully at Sanosuke as she tasted the bitterness of his words in the back of her mouth.

"Capozana, at least for the years before the campaigns, maintained a high standard of keeping records of all types of foreigners—not as good as whatever the registry for immigration had, but anything that stood out was made note of—friendly or not," Sanosuke continued to explain. "Even though we did not have as much activity with the vizinhos, we had a significant population of Sympathizers that emigrated there and we attracted quite a few others along the border area."

"You mean the ones who sensed the danger of Central and moved as far as they could from their grasp," Kaoru said quietly to which she received a nod of confirmation. "And crossed into the neighbouring country."

"Sometime like that," Sanosuke muttered before his face lit up as he retracted his hand from the cabinet grasping a dusty old tome that was bound in a withered leather cover. "Here it is! I knew it was lying around here somewhere…" He rapped his knuckles against the book as he gave Kaoru a look of victory as she gave him a crooked smile and leaned against the stair railing with an appreciative look of him finding something that could potentially be of their interest.

"Do you want me to take a look at it?" She offered.

"You can, but clean up your neck and arm first, it smells like death and looks pretty nasty," Sanosuke said as he wrinkled his nose in displeasure. "You need some help?"

"I'm okay," Kaoru replied as she waved his offer of help off with a gentle motion of her hand. "I'll be back in a moment—I want to see what that book has: maybe there is information that can at least get us going in the right direction."

She sighed as she moved to climb back up the stairs before Sanosuke's words stopped her: "It's an uncensored copy that was not revised by Central." She swivelled her head around quickly as she gawked at Sanosuke who was drumming his fingers against the cover with a knowing look to his brown eyes. Sanosuke was not an avid supporter of Central and made it clear that he, as many did, loathed the government, but he was also the type of individual who preferred to fly under the radar and avoid being a pinprick on the government's radar. He was cautious in his movements around strangers and often plastered a look of indifference when questioned about his views on the political situation but in private was known to rage about how Central had done nothing but destroy the pride of their lands and their people. He'd lost his mentor and his family and Kaoru had never seen such a red hot fury concentrated in one human body before.

"And you get after me for touching things in the forest," She shot back hotly as she felt the tips of her ears redden. "Honestly!" She stomped up the stairs, much to Sanosuke's amusement as his laugh indicated and carried up the stairs, and Kaoru grunted in her throat as she walked back into the bathroom and reached for the knife that she had previously discarded on the counter. She wrapped her fingers around the blade and opened the tap once more as she gave it another rinse of hot water out of good measure, her blue eyes casting a hawkish look over the blade as though it could pick up on the slightest of fibres of dust.

Shutting the water off once again, Kaoru withdrew the knife from the water and patted it with the towel and she craned her neck forward to examine what she could of her neck and the accompanying wound. She studied it carefully as she decided that it would be best to lance it towards the bottom of the pus inflated balloon to allow gravity to work its magic and she cringed at the pain and smell that she knew would come. Reaching for another towel, she wrapped it carefully around her shoulders to avoid anything pooling on the floor and she forced her muscles to relax at the thought of puncturing the wound.

"Maybe here?" She muttered to herself as she reached for the knife and pointed the tip at the base of the sickly bubble of the blistering pus. The glint of the blade in the dim lighting was oddly familiar to her and she gulped lightly, pushing the knot in her throat downwards.

"This one would not recommend that," A voice crawled into her ear and Kaoru felt every muscle in her body tighten momentarily before she whirled around on instinct, the knife thrust in front of her as she settled into an organic defensive stance. She found her eyes narrowing at the red haired foreigner that had managed to fly under her radar and had taken to housing himself in the doorway of the bathroom as he watched her with an impassive violet stare that revealed nothing. His eyes dropped to the blade that she was holding and he trailed his gaze back up to her and took in how she was positioned: he knew that she was proficient in fighting judging by how fast her reflexes were and her stance was flawless as she adjusted it to the tight confines of the bathroom.

"You're awake," She spoke in a raspy voice.

"Yes," He answered steadily without breaking his stare.

"When did you wake up?" Kaoru demanded as she refused to lower the knife.

"This one does not understand the flow of time according to your world," The red head replied in the same even tone as he observed her reaction to his explanation. "However, it has not been long:something told this one to wake up and to stop you from lancing that wound." His stance was non-aggressive and gave no indication that he was going to harm her yet Kaoru did not release her grip on the knife. Every fibre of her being screamed at her to call for Sanosuke but she found her mind goading her to seize any bit of information possible.

"What do you mean by that?" She questioned.

"If you are to puncture that blister, it would do more harm than good," He replied calmly. "The venom in that creature is extremely lethal to humans given that it eats away at flesh. If you were to lance it, you would risk spreading it more from the residual toxins and it would burn your skin even more." Kaoru eyed him warily as his words seemed to contradict the basic medical knowledge that she had been given in how to handle these types of wounds and medical annoyances.

"Why should I believe you?"

"You shouldn't," He replied instantly without meeting a beat as his violet gaze softened and his lips curled into a meager pleasant smile that softened the hard lines of his face. "But this one has no intentions of causing you any harm, that I don't. I simply find giving fair warning to be a great equalizer." He raised his hands up in front of him in a defensive gesture that once again exposed the bizarre figures emblazoned into his right hand and Kaoru adjusted her grip on the knife as she contemplated his words.

"Why did you help me?"

"Why do you think this one would help you, Miss. Kaoru?" She was taken aback by how he casually let her name drop and she blinked owlishly before realizing that he had probably overheard her name when she, Ro, and Sanosuke had been watching over him.

"I was hoping you would tell me that," Kaoru sighed as she relented and lowered the knife but did not relinquish her hold on it. "You're not from here—there is very little reason for me to trust someone like you in this day and age." Her eyes were shadowed and she gave him a look that was mixed between mistrust and curiosity as she took in his figure. He was still donning his ragged cloak and bizarre pants and he felt her eye drink in the details of his figure as she let her stare roam over him. A lingering sensation gave him the impression that she was an avid observer and basked in the most minute of details before making any movement.

"The question this one just asked was one that this one wishes for you to answer, because this one does not have the answer," He spoke quietly. "This one was woken from my slumber in the forest."

"Slumber?"

"Yes," He answered with a delicate nod of his head. "Although as to why this one was sleeping is difficult to recall- In fact, anything beyond waking up and coming down from the mountain is nothing." He watched as Kaoru took a step back and rested herself against the counter as she stared at him with a bewildered expression that she quickly erased from her face.

"You don't remember anything?"

"This one does not," He answered softly as he raised a hand and ran it through his flaming red hair, wincing at the contact it made with a snag in his tresses. "I was woken by a voice that told me to 'run', that I was being 'called.'" He released his hand from his hair and lowered it to his side as his shoulders slumped.

"What is your name?"

"This one does not know," He replied slowly. "When referring to not remembering anything, it truly means having zero recollection. My name, who this one is… origins… all this one knows is that this one should not have been roused from my slumber." His eyes closed as though he were reaching into the deepest recesses of his brain and Kaoru watched him warily as she felt a weary wave of confusion roll over her muscles.

"Then how do you know about the poison's reaction on human flesh?" She asked quietly as she felt the stinging on her neck ground her once more as she had momentarily forgotten the reason why she was holding the knife originally. "If you cannot recall even your name, why would you know something about complex medical knowledge?" His eyes slid open slightly and she caught a foggy glimmer to their depths that made her breath hitch momentarily before she exhaled gently.

"This one feels as though there is a constant stream of information that is being fed into this one's mind and it provides certain types of information to help better understand the environment as well as other things," The red head began to explain as he leaned into the frame of the doorway. "While medical knowledge may not be my forté, this one knows that, that beast's venom is dangerous and why and what it can do to a human body."

Kaoru was silent for a moment as she digested his wayward explanation that rendered her even more confused and baffled than before. Even with such an explanation she was left with significantly more questions that she wanted to pose him but knew it would be useless for the moment. She sighed heavily as she blew a few strands of hair out of her face before setting the knife down on the counter and looking at the bizarre foreigner blocking her bathroom's doorway.

"I won't ask questions, at least…for now," She relented as she wondered faintly of the consequences of the very words she was uttering. "Given that you _did_ help me escape from that Espina with life, I am in theory indebted to you for such an act—and I will try to assist you in any way that I can. It's the least I can do." She tilted her head at him as she met his gaze with her own ocean-blue one before letting a small curl of her lips pass over her face.

"If Ms. Kaoru does not mind, this one can heal her, that I can," He whistled through his teeth as the putrefying scent of the rotting flesh hit his hyper-sensitive nose. Kaoru's eyebrows shot up as he took a step towards her and she felt the hairs on her arm stand up as she watched him take another ginger step towards her without any threatening behaviour to his gait. He knew that he was cornering someone trained to not be cornered by a perceived threat yet something within him pushed him forward to heal her festering wounds and to allow him to demonstrate his intentions with her. The voice was silent but his body seemed to crave to earn this dark haired female's trust.

"What do you think you're doing?" She bit out as she instinctively reached for the knife she had just set aside. "Heal? What? _Hey_!"

"This one wishes to heal your wounds, that I do," He said softly. "Ms. Kaoru, there are no bad intentions and this one wishes to aid you before the venom causes more than just superficial damage on your skin." His violet eyes were steady and bright as the light that streamed in through the window and Kaoru felt her guard drop momentarily at how strangely enchanting he was despite needing a bath and brushing and she stiffened as he closed the gap between them.

"Please, allow this one to do so," He breathed into her ear and Kaoru grunted as she raised up a hand and pushed him away warily. He tottered backwards a mere two steps but regained his balance.

"Not so close," She warned as she managed to retrieve the knife once more and held it up again. "I said that I _would_ help you but that gives you little right to come too close. Why do you want to heal my wounds? We have perfectly fine medicine here, you know." Her eyes narrowed dangerously as his expression refused to betray the storm that raged beneath him that was shouting at him to heal her blistering poison filled injuries and he just smiled lightly.

"This one feels a great sense of duty to protect, that I do," He replied breezily as he reached out and ignored the flicker of the blade in the light. Gently grasping her arm in his left hand, he wrapped calloused fingers around the tender flesh and rubbed the pads of his fingers over the ripples of muscles. His eyes fell into a comfortable half lidded state as he continued his soft ministrations over her as he felt her aura drop from one of suspicion to something less charged and much more complex that went beyond his understanding.

"And something is telling me that Ms. Kaoru needs to be extended that olive branch of protection," He continued to speak as his voice dropped in tone and his fingers began to trace circles.

"Protected from _what_?"

"This one does not know," He admitted. "But to be woken from what this one believes to have been a permanent slumber… it is enough to make this one uneasy, that it is." Kaoru was silent as she felt herself relax under the massaging of his fingers and she blinked back the urge to pursue that avenue of questions and interrogation as to why she would let a nameless foreigner assume a protective role over her. She knew it was a question of bidding her time and waiting for the opportune moment to try and unearth more information needed to piece together the puzzle that was this red-headed man was and for what purpose he had stumbled into her life.

She felt his right hand suddenly rest on her upper arm and she nearly ripped herself away from him when she felt a warmth slide into her body and snake through her veins. It was a warmth of what she had always imagined to be a summer day in the Southern plains. It reminded her of simpler and happier times when the warmth of her family home, her mother's patient smile, or her father's warm embrace—things that had long been yanked from beneath her feet. She felt it course upwards as it traveled throughout her body and the annoying pain that had been plaguing her neck as the rotting smell faded away into nothing and the yellowing of her skin seemed to vanish as her pale colouring returned. Kaoru knew that he was using some sort of magic—something she'd never felt before nor imagined—and his gaze on her did not cease as he watched her face contort in reaction to it. He smiled inwardly at how the human female was trying to comprehend the sensations washing over her but hummed to himself as he removed his right hand from her and rested it as his side.

"It feels much better," He stated simply.

"It does," She agreed numbly as she met his gaze shyly, seeming unsure as to how to process the invasiveness of the warm magic that spiralled through her body and seemed to settle in her core in a warm pool that spoke volumes that went unheard to mere mortal ears. The magic sung out to her mind and soul, threading a story together that bubbled in an amicable and serene manner that nearly forced tears from her eyes from the sincerity that they filled her heart with. It was a bizarre sensation that was not unwelcome but just as foreign as the red head who was gently stroking her arm with fingers that seemed to have seen much more than she could imagine in her mere blink of a life-time. It seemed to wrap around her protectively, ribbons of kindness lacing through the apparent holes in her soul that had been left in recent times, and it frightened as much as it excited her.

"Do you feel that?" He whispered as he fingers kept their gentle movements over her arm. "Does Ms. Kaoru still believe that this one will cause her harm?" She was silent as she shook her head in response and he smiled deeper as he ceased rubbing his fingers over her arm and withdrew his hand from her. "There is nothing more wondrous than magic on this earth—it is an incredibly fickle thing but when wielded, does great things." His gaze was soft and his pupils were retracted as he exhaled momentarily and took a step back from Kaoru who seemed on the verge of her knees buckling in on her.

" _What are you_?" She whispered as she steadied herself against the bathroom counter, her chest heaving from the overwhelming invasion of warm magic that lingered happily within her body.

"This one does not know," He repeated patiently in a low voice that nearly trembled. "I cannot even offer a name, that I can not." He sighed at the frustration of not being able to answer the same questions that he knew Kaoru had for him and he realized that this was a situation in which the odds were heavily stacked against him. He was in a human village in a place he did not recognize—either because he truly had never been here or it had been washed away with his previous memories—and he was a foreigner with no-name in what he sensed to be a particularly tense point of history that he knew would be difficult to swallow and understand. The fact he had been woken from his slumber and deposited in a foreign land and drawn to this human female standing before him did not bode well for the red head and he knew that he was called to serve some unknown purpose that left his mind reeling out of control.

The rushing of footsteps up the stairs and an enthusiastic call of Kaoru's name brought the two occupants in the bathroom back to earth as they looked up to find the lumbering and massive figure of Sanosuke in the doorway, his massive hands grasping the frame as he poked his head in and uttered, "What the _hell_ is going on here?"

"He's woken up," Kaoru replied neutrally as she curled her hand to her chest and stared down at the floor momentarily as she tried to summon a semblance of an explanation.

"I can see that," Sanosuke bit out as he released his grasp on the doorframe and folded his hands into mighty fists that posed a serious threat of a walloping that had earned his him fame. "Why is he here alone with you? Kaoru—"

"—This one will not hurt her," The red head spoke up as he turned around to fully acknowledge Sanosuke's presence. "If anything, it is the contrary. This one has woken from his slumber and was drawn to Ms. Kaoru."

"Drawn?" Sanosuke repeated as his eyebrows creased in deep thought as he took in the slighter form of the red head. The two men were eyeing each other with uncertainty as though they were assessing each other as friends or foes. Sanosuke crammed his way into the alright tight confines of the bathroom as he moved his way over to Kaoru and stood beside her in the fraternal protectiveness that was reserved for his companion.

"This one was told to find her, that I was," The foreigner said softly as he looked to Kaoru who was shifting her gaze between the two nervously as she tried to gauge the environment and read Sanosuke's growing tension. "I have no intentions of harming Ms. Kaoru."

"He's speaking the truth, Sano," Kaoru murmured as she looked at the man she considered to be an older brother. "He even healed the wounds from the Espina…" She trailed off as she shrugged her shoulders at the hazy confusion that was settling into the atmosphere. "But he has no memories—he doesn't even know his own name…"

"And you trust him," Sanosuke said harshly.

"I felt it," She countered heatedly as she looked at him with bright eyes. "He healed the Espina's wounds with magic and… it wasn't anything bad or evil. It was very raw and sincere! He could have killed me if he wanted to." Sanosuke let out a grunt in his throat as he glanced at the red head with a look of contempt that marred his expression and cast a shadow of doubt on the situation that was unfolding even more about them.

"Whoever you are or whatever you are, you realize that you are a threat to our household," Sanosuke spoke bitterly. "Missy and I are assuming a huge risk taking you in: you have no travel papers, no name—you're not even human. Do you realize the danger you have put us in?"

"This one does not understand the situation of this timeline or this world," The red head answered evenly. "I can only assume from the information that I am picking up on that this world is rifled with war and corruption and that these lands have suffered greatly." Sanosuke's face was unmoving but Kaoru looked away as she trained her gaze to the window and refused to acknowledge the tension in the air.

"For this time, this one wishes to not cause disturbances in an already delicate situation, but this one cannot ignore the fact that there was someone who was calling for me and woke me," The red head continued as he looked over at Kaoru and gave her a sad smile. "Ms. Kaoru said that she know carries the burden of a debt with this one and it would be most gracious of her if shelter could be provided until this one has a base understanding of why I was brought to these lands and the forest." Kaoru watched him from the corner of her eye but she was unmoving as she took in his humbled frame that reflected the warmth and kindness of the magic that licked its way through her body like a fiery dance.

"You're too much of a liability—"

"You can stay and we will help you… at least for a bit," Kaoru cut off Sanosuke as she finally spoke again. "If this is how you wish for the debt to be repaid than we are obligated to oblige to his request. We may not be of much help to you but we can at least shelter you until you have the information you need." She looked over at Sanosuke with a look that would have branded his hide and she continued to speak, "Afterall, we follow the tradition of paying back owed debt. It would be rude of me to deny you what you request of repayment from me as well as massively taboo. My obligation is to see that my debt is repaid." She managed a forced smile that did not quite reach her eyes.

"Now, I think I need a cup of tea to settle my nerves—you're both free to join me, although this is a lot to process." She huffed as she straightened her back out of pride and marched out of the bathroom, brushing by both males who were left in utter silence as they watched her form retreat and descend the stairs.

* * *

A/N: Another chapter, another movement forward! Once again, sorry for any delays and I don't own the characters, I just ruthlessly insert them into other worlds. :D


	7. Chapter 7

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter VII

Revelations

 _"May your journey overflow with frigidness and warmth."_

* * *

The morning sounds of Tereré were a welcoming comfort to the wearily blonde who tilted her wide brimmed hat up as her blue eyes blinked against the greyness of the sky. Her blood ran cold with the steely Northern resolve but her heart was still basking in the warm air of the Southern sun and still pined to feel the warmth against her skin. She was donning her patroller cloak, repaired sloppily in the day she had, had to stitch the tears together, and she had shoved the red cap into her pocket. Today, she decided, she was going to sport her wide brimmed hat that she had decorated with a stray feather she had encountered en route to the Long House.

When she had immigrated to the North because of her late husband's desire to return to his own lands and escape the conflicts, she had not thought twice about following him to what was at the time the most peaceful of the cardinal villages. Her own homelands had been ravaged and destroyed by Central's campaigns and she had witnessed too much carnage to be able to gaze into the fields of white flowers without seeing white marred with coppery red and rusty orange. Her own homeland had been reverted to a primitive state of what was once the glorious Southern region and she saw the devolution of her precious lands as a sign to move away quickly and seek refuge where she could.

Ro had ultimately boarded the train bound for Tereré, when there was still active surface, and clutched her travel papers close to her chest as she watched the landscape go from flat to raised plateaus and mountains. The train had already passed through the Central plains and bypassed the capital—it was the slow train that offered a direct connection between her village and the North—and she noticed the changes immediately. The once celestial sky was stained a permanent grey that had changed between dark and light grey with little variation. She had watched as her husband breathed out a sigh of relief as they pulled into the familiar mountain range that marked the beginning of the Northern territories and a foreign land that she was emigrating to out of love.

As she tapped her foot nervously against the ground awaiting a status report on her weapon, she felt the wash of memories come over her as the bustling sounds of the industrial Tereré once again infiltrated her memories. The sounds of metal being worked into weapons or tools resounded from the Southern districts, the calls from the market vendors selling their pathetically laughable products came from the East, and she could pick out the marching of children to collect supplies and run deliveries around the village between the various delegation offices. The sounds were more or less the same to the auditory landscape that was Tereré but they held different meanings than those she had sussed out on the first day: the lines of children were just physical manifestations of the decline in education, the vendors' callings were empty promises of selling sub-quality products, and there was a noticeable lack of a train given that the station had been shut down and stripped of its metal to be forged into tools. Most shipments from Central were brought in by carts along the degraded routes that were in desperate need of repair and often took weeks more compared to the train.

"Forgive my tardiness," A voice called Ro's attention over to the side of the Long House as the lithe figure of Tomoe emerged from the corner. The other Southerner had garbed herself in what seemed to be a simple cloak—a simple hand-me-down from a sympathetic neighbour—and her neck was wrapped with a scarf that had seen better days. Ro nodded in greeting to the dark haired female from the same lands as her and tilted her head back as she looked back up at the greying sky with a tired look to her blue eyes.

"S'okay," Ro managed to slur lazily as she lowered her gaze back to Tomoe's expectant face. "You needed something from me? I know I said we'd get tea soon…but I've been a bit busy."

"Yes, please forgive me for calling you out on such short notice, but I needed your help," Tomoe said in a tight voice as she took in Ro's wary look. Despite the two being from the same area and having ended up in the small industrial village, they were night and day in terms of personality. Ro had garnered a healthy respect for Tomoe's ability to seemingly predict the future and any bizarre occurrences but still guarded a harsh mistrust towards the much severer female given that she had spilt a heavy dosage of information regarding Kaoru on the blonde. Still, when Ro had been awaken by a tap-tap on her window and Tomoe's flowery handwritten note requesting her presence at the Long House, Ro had felt a sense of obligation to trudge down before her shift began to address whatever her fellow Southern needed to say.

"My help," Ro repeated mutely as she blinked at Tomoe before crossing her arms over her chest. "What sort of help?"

"More like information," Tomoe corrected herself lightly.

"If I had to venture a guess, you want more information about Kaoru," Ro said caustically as her accent dripped through her words and her gaze intensified at the request of Tomoe. Ro knew that her dealings with Tomoe were either neutral or unpleasant and she was privy to the fact that Tomoe's manipulation tactics were top-notch compared to some of the Delegation members that Ro had crossed paths with in her day. "You want to contextualize whatever vision you had about her, correct?"

"You're as intuitive as ever," Tomoe said flatly as she brushed a strand of hair from her face. Ro glowered at Tomoe with a weary stare as she tried to assess what the other woman was after in this turn of events. Precious information about Kaoru could lead to several outcomes that would either benefit her friend or give Ro more of a reason to worry about her well-being and it was something that tugged her in two or three directions. She also knew that having the red-headed foreigner in her home was inching closer to being another thread in the complex tapestry that was being woven and despite Kaoru having been rescued by said man, there was much more to the story and it was seemingly locked away in who the red-head was.

"What kind of information do you want?" Ro questioned.

"What kind of information do you think will protect your friend?" Tomoe responded with a question of her own as her own gaze steeled against Ro's clear blue stare that refused to falter. "The more information you provide me, the more you will be able to protect her from what is to come."

"You say that," Ro began as she unfolded her arms and shoved them into the pockets of her cloak. "You say that so casually—yet if I were to ask you to indulge me a bit about what is supposedly _'to come'_ , you won't utter a peep. Funny that you come asking for information yet you refuse to share any. Thought we were raised better than that, eh?" Her blonde brows were furrowed as she looked away from Tomoe and stared out at the mountain and the forest that seemed to hold an even more ominous look to it that particular moment.

"You are in no position to negotiate on such fragile terms and conditions,unfortunately," Tomoe pointed out as she shivered in the cold Tereré wind as a gust blew against her frame.

"I'd say the same to you as well, Tomoe," Ro replied back pointedly as she glanced at Tomoe out of the corner of her eye. "You claim that information can protect Kaoru yet you refuse to provide said information for those of us close to her to be able to ensure that she is protected. That's hardly diplomacy."

"We never spoke of diplomacy and I have no interest in what happens to her as a mere spectator."

"It was assumed from the beginning that since you came here there was something going astray from whatever fate has planned for our cursed existence," Ro said slowly as she felt her hair billow in the wind and she felt her hat threatening to take flight into the breeze. "You yourself said you felt pulled to Tereré and that Kaoru is the focus of your attention. If there's one thing that we carry on our shoulders, it is solidarity when a comrade is face to face with a situation that is already live by our profession but we know that our lives can end with a simple misstep."

"Do you oppose destiny being altered?"

"Not if it's to ensure that a friend is safe in this world we have inevitability created for ourselves," Ro replied back steadily. "I trust that your vision is reliable considering your track record with these things in Elizondo as well as at home, but the lack of information on your part makes me suspect there's something else at play."

"If I were to tell you what I have seen in regards to Kaoru, would you being willing to part with information about her?" Tomoe asked quietly as she stared at Ro who was stiff as a board as she contemplated Tomoe's posed situation. "You were never seen as the type to barter your loved ones' lives over mere information, Ro." Ro's face did not move from its stoic expression as she leaned against the oil drum that was devoid of its typical fire and she felt her gaze glaze over at the thought of Kaoru and whatever premonition that Tomoe had envisioned.

"It's not about bartering, not at this stage," Ro finally relented as she rested her hands on the brim of the oil drum and crossed her legs. "It's about hiding precious information that could very easily prevent someone else from dying."

"Do you want to know what I have seen in regards to Kaoru?"

"Of course, but not paying your asking price," Ro replied heatedly. "She is too precious to lose—I cannot lose another loved one in my life. Yet you bargain for information as though it were a sack of beans or something much less than another's life. The fact that you seem to discard that fact is cruel, Tomoe. You've always had that about you, eh." Ro pushed herself away from the oil drum as she squared her shoulders and tilted her chin up at the dark haired woman.

"I see it from a very different perspective, Ro," Tomoe said simply as she gave her Southern kin a wearily look. "If I were to indulge you in the details of what my vision entails for Kaoru's future, it would alter the natural path of whatever the outcome may be. This itself presents many dangers and you yourself have seen this when they tried to prevent the famine. The information is merely information but fate marches to its own drum. Regardless if I tell you what Kaoru's role in the vision is, there is little that one can do to change the flow of the currents of fate. You yourself say you are not opposed to altering fate if it is to protect someone but the very altering of fate is enough to have the contrary effect of what you desire."

"Then why do you want information from me if nothing can be done about it?" Ro barked out before clasping a hand over her mouth to avoid attracting more unwanted attention.

"I want to ensure that fate plays out the way it is supposed to in the interest of Kaoru's well being as well as the way history is supposed to be spun," Tomoe replied steadily. "The vision I had of her was not one of death—at least, not her own death." Ro's eyes widened momentarily as she processed the words that entered through her ears.

"If it's not her own death-"

"-It will be a different sort death," Tomoe interjected. "Fate has dealt her a much harder hand that a death in the forest or in some cruel accident. I want information on Kaoru's essence: I want to understand how someone like her thinks to better understand why this vision hints at her involvement."

"Kaoru hates death," Ro said quickly as she tugged at the brim of her hat, shielding her eyes partially from Tomoe. "Ironically enough, despite being surrounded by death in our profession, she has never been able to shake it off and still is greatly bothered by it. Yet I don't think she fears her own death: most of us in our line of work know sooner or later we will go toe-to-toe with death herself and have to resign ourselves to the inevitable.

"Kaoru has learned how to hide her true feelings of death for the same reasons many of us do, I guess. After all, it is an integral part of our landscape and the impartialness of it truly can destroy your perspective of the world around you," Ro continued as her voice drawled slightly and she looked at the other patrollers who were setting off on their routes. "Death does not discriminate nor does it show mercy—we are all aware of this yet we are not given the luxury of being able to avoid something that lingers around every bend. Most of us in the patrol division are single for this reason—to reduce the impact on whoever is inevitably going to be left behind."

"Where do her loyalties lie?"

"Her _loyalties_?"

"Yes, her loyalties," Tomoe repeated patiently. "Where does her allegiance rest? With her own interests or that of her own people?" Ro started at the question and snapped her jaw shut as she realized that she was unable to answer that question nor wanted to. It was a heavy question that bore a hefty weight and could arguably be twisted depending on who was asking. It was an interrogation that Ro was not willing to indulge in as she felt her throat close in resisting the urge to snap at Tomoe's harsh question. The mere putting in doubt that Kaoru's loyalties were a factor in this so called vision sat disgustingly low with the blonde because it also was something that she herself was unsure of in terms of a simple answer.

"Would Kaoru protect one life at the cost of many or protect many lives at the cost of one?" Tomoe queried as her eyes narrowed. "If you cannot answer that question than perhaps you might reconsider your friendship with someone whose loyalty is not established."

"I cannot and will not answer such a question because it is not my place to do so," Ro replied as her hand reached up and smashed the hat further onto her head. "My loyalty lies firmly with Kaoru and that will not change until the day I die—come may it come. I wish to protect those close to me from even more suffering than we already live." Ro's eyes were hidden by the brim of her hat but she felt the warmth gathering in the corners of her blue eyes at the mere thought of the day that the impartial hammer of death was brought upon them.

"As of now I cannot answer that question nor do I have the right to answer it in the end, really," Ro continued in a much softer voice as it trembled. "But we have been friends for years without me knowing the answer to the very question you've asked and even knowing the answer would most likely not change a thing between us."

"You speak of comradery as patrollers," Tomoe remarked.

"I speak of friendship that has withstood may trials over the years," Ro corrected as she refused to meet Tomoe's steady gaze that seemed to be able to see through even the thickest of skin. "Being patrollers is a minute detail in what has been an entire canvas of what we have experienced together." Tomoe's mouth was pressed into a fine line on her face as she took in the blonde's hunched figure as she tried to assess the best course of action in trying to budge the stubborn Southern to reveal more information. Tomoe knew much more than she let on and she knew that Ro's ultimate confirmation or denial of certain details would provide a different angle to her comprehension of what she was seeing with her mind's eye. She had not counted on the blonde to be resistant to answering her carefully constructed questions and she was finding it to be a proverbial thorn in her side as she pressed the fellow Southerner for more information.

"You will protect Kaoru even is she is harbouring a stranger in her home?" Ro's poker face did not falter as she kept her eyes tilted downwards but she cursed inwardly at Tomoe's direct question. She should have known that Tomoe would pick up on such a bizarre presence and she should have foreseen that question from twenty miles out. Gritting her teeth together as she tried to not to let her outward reactions be read by the other woman, Ro lifted her head in defiance as she stared Tomoe straight in the eye before uttering, "I have no bleeding idea what you're talking about."

"Lying never suited you, Ro," Tomoe said lightly as her eyes traced the movements of another patroller that was sliding up to the Long House before vanishing within the mouth of the building. "You were always too honest for your own good and your own body betrays you when required to avoid the truth."

Ro was deathly quiet as she regarded Tomoe with a look of mirth before realizing that Tomoe was more than likely aware that the red headed foreigner was another piece to this mystic puzzle that was slowly growing bigger and bigger as the day dragged on. A mere day ago she and Kaoru had been setting out on a typical patrol and twenty-four hours later she was being grilled by someone that even the Delegations grew to fear by what was uttered from her lips. Ro found life to be ironic and painfully funny in even its lowest points but she was not blinded to the cruelty that fate sometimes lashed out with in the tragic twists of life.

"That man is not an immediate danger to her," Tomoe said softly as her expression melted away and revealed the tired frown lines that rimmed her cheeks. Time had not treated her nicely and her foresight had left her many sleepless nights that shadowed her already wise gaze. "Yet it is best he not remain here for the interest of her safety."

"I thought you said he wasn't dangerous," Ro said wearily as she realized that lying would not get her anywhere with Tomoe who had probably picked up on the stranger's presence anyway.

"To her no, but to those who seek him—that man is a magnet for danger and trouble and Kaoru will end up ensnared in the very thorny vines that are destined to trap him," Tomoe replied simply as she silenced herself as she watched another patroller wander into the Long House. Ro was stumped for words as she fiddled with a long piece of her golden hair and she sighed as she cast Tomoe a hardened look that seemed to discard her reservations about the older female.

"Do you know his name?"

"He has had many over the years," Tomoe replied. "But to us humans he is simply known as _Kenshin_."

"Why do you know his name?"

"The same way I knew Kaoru's name before crossing paths with her," Tomoe answered simply. "But it is not the first time I have seen him in a vision." Ro gave her a bleary look as she burned the name of the red head into her mind and looked away from the other woman as she tried to digest the information that had been given to her. It was a precious nougat of data that would further their investigation to understand where this so-called 'Kenshin' came from even if Tomoe was unwilling to volunteer any more information to aid them. Ro was mildly appreciative of the information as she pocketed her hands once again and looked longingly towards the Long House.

"This is information that you wanted to give me knowing that I will tell Kaoru," Ro said simply. "You are counting on me to go and repeat everything to her."

"Yes," Tomoe confirmed.

"You do not object to me telling her the stranger's name," Ro stated.

"Had I any objection I would not have told you."

"Why are you telling me his name?"

"Fate wishes for me to do so," Tomoe answered dutifully as though it were obvious to the world around her why she took the decisions that she took. Ro sighed a heavily sigh as she bowed her head at Tomoe and raised a hand to wave her off as she tried to muster the words to best express her tangle of emotions that had balled in her chest. She had known that when Tomoe had summoned her that she would probably be the receiving end of very difficult news and she knew that she would be thrust into a situation that she was not necessarily able to process on her own.

The very information that Tomoe had selectively provided was useful without a doubt and there was an edge of relief to the fact that Kaoru's involvement in her vision did not end in her own death but there was a hint of despair that lingered at the mere questioning of Kaoru's loyalty. Tomoe's words lingered heavily like a heavy crown of thorns upon her head as it would have almost been more merciful for the vision to speak of her own death as opposed to her being responsible for others' deaths. The mere integrity of Kaoru was being put into doubt and it was enough to make Ro hesitate and truly consider how Kaoru responded to the deck of cards that some unseen fate had provided her to play with as she moved through the different turns of her life. Ro knew that the moment she told Kaoru that she would be at the helm of controlling the death of someone else that the blue eyed patroller would potentially crack her slowly hardening outer layer designed to protect herself from the harshness of their world.

"This has been too much for you," Tomoe remarked.

"It would be for anyone," Ro grumbled as she stared at the ground angrily. "Why do you refuse to speak to Kaoru?"

"Would she believe me if I did?"

"No," Ro answered as she gave a rueful half smile that did not reach her eyes. "No, she wouldn't—she'd probably write it off as nonsense." Ro's fingers were still being bitten by the cool air as she felt her shoulders sag significantly at the weight of the information that Tomoe had provided her.

"You are useful as a vehicle for this information given that you are much closer to her and she trusts you," Tomoe said simply. "I trust you to communicate what I have told you to Kaoru in the interest of not only your relationship but in the interest of also ensuring that she is prepared to face these consequences knowing what she will be confronting so that she is best equipped with making the righteous decision."

"I thought you said that, that would alter fate which is prohibited," Ro pointed out tepidly.

"This information is not detailed enough to truly divert the flow that the river of fate takes at this point in her life," Tomoe answered quietly as she rubbed her hands together in the frigid Tereré air. "It is merely a warning for her to be attentive to what occurs around her and the danger she herself is navigating sheltering such a thing in her home."

Ro fell quiet again as she sighed into the cool air and tilted her hat back as her blonde bangs framed her tired face as she took in the form of Tomoe. Ro was no stranger to adversity as her own life had been narrated around being a witness to the horrendous side of human nature and she herself had castigated herself to a life where adversity was a highlighted word in her vocabulary. Yet she knew that the information provided to her by Tomoe was information meant to be shared with Kaoru with an intention whose inner mechanics were still unknown to her. She was wary of Tomoe's motives but her own sisterly love of Kaoru wished to fight against whatever fate deemed to stain Kaoru's life with even more tragedy. The blonde felt herself trapped against a wall as she felt torn in too many directions and she steeled her nerve as she bit her lip and brushed passed Tomoe, her cloak billowing elegantly.

"Do not go near her, Tomoe," Ro growled before glancing over her shoulder. "Your presence would be enough to kick up the dust that has barely settled."

"And if I were to go near her?"

"Your own fate is something that I would have no qualms about defying in the interest of protecting the one person I have left in this world," Ro said in a dark tone as her eyes narrowed dangerously, the truly predatory nature of a patroller creeping into her normally jovial Southern manner. "I will not hesitate to stop you."

"You would kill me?"

"No," Ro answered as she straightened her back and pivoted to eye Tomoe with at almost feline glint to her bright blue eyes. "But I would ensure that, that pretty little mouth of yours would never utter another word. Death is too easy of an escape for us in this cursed world, isn't it? We take away what is most precious to us and that, for you, would be your ability to spread your warnings and visions." She curled her lips into a crooked smile that was touched with the darkness that swirled within her soul as she reeled around and sauntered away from the figure of Tomoe who was watching her retreating form with an indifferent gaze.

"For all living creatures, death is an absolute truth," Tomoe murmured as she watched Ro's wide brimmed hat vanish from her line of sight. "Death is the absolute judgement and people cling to their minuscule existence of a life until the end that is decided by something beyond what mortals can control with their own means." She clutched at the folds of her cloak as she bundled it closer to her body against the cold Northern winds that seemed to kick to life in warning of her intruding on land that was not her own. The mountain seemed to groan as the trees rustled, blending into the background noises of Tereré.

 _The South is definitely much more agreeable for human life,_ Tomoe thought idly as she tucked the scarf closer to her body and sighed as she slowly ambled towards the share house where she was lodging during her stay in the Northern village. The fact that humans have been able to make life in these conditions is truly testimonial to our resistance as a species and our open defiance of the Earth itself.

* * *

"Tereré?" The red headed man repeated slowly as he rolled the accented word off his tongue after Kaoru had corrected him a smattering of times as he tried to understand the need for an accented vowel in their language.

"Better," She said with a nod as she peered at the foreigner seated at the table. Sanosuke had hesitantly lent him some clothes that were comically large on his much smaller frame: the sleeves of the white button up shirt were rolled up to his elbows and his pants were rolled up as well to accommodate his shorter legs. Kaoru had not set out to untangle the red nest of knots that rested at the nape of his neck but she knew it would be a daunting task as she bustled about the kitchen preparing a strong brew of tea.

"Where are we in relation to the Central plain?"

"The Central plain?" Kaoru echoed as she halted temporarily in her search for a third tea cup and looked at him with a startled look. She had herded him down the stairs and into their kitchen, forcing him to take a seat at their unsteady table as she told Sanosuke off for not having collected their rations and she forced the taller man through the door to go collect their weekly food allocations and sent him off with orders to procure as much extra tea and rice as he could get. When Sanosuke protested to leaving her alone with the red-head, Kaoru had rebuked and told him off for doubting her slight investment of trust into the foreigner who was watching their exchange with passive interest.

"The Central plain, " Kaoru repeated again as she scoured her brain. She had been an excellent student of geography when attending school but the distances to the Central plain were often obscured because the routes changed frequently. Their state was small in comparison to others and there were only few villages that were distributed in the cardinal directions of the Central capital. The villages' distances were healthy to keep those in the capital content from seeing the lower rungs of their society and the villages were also mum at not having to regard the Capital within eyesight.

"Why?"

"I heard Sanosuke say something about Central," The red head answered quietly as he stared at the table cloth and studied the pattern with a bored expression. "From what I understand from the information stream, there's a massive expanse of land there and it is extremely fertile and houses countless resources such as healthy rivers and strong agricultural practices."

"Sano was most likely speaking about the city we call ' _Central_ '," Kaoru corrected as she felt her fingers bump against the tea cup and she eased it from its place within the cabinet. She lowered it to the table as she moved over towards the stove to heat the water in the kettle as she eyed the tea rations that she and Sanosuke stored on the counter. "And to answer your question, Central is three hundred or so kilometres to the South of here. Why?"

"Central refers to your system of governance," He said simply as though it were a plain fact. Kaoru gawked at him as she tried to understand how this stream of information was being fed to him and what type of information he was amassing in his mind. His violet gaze was gentle and docile—reminding Kaoru of the lambs she had seen as a child—but she knew that there was something much more pressing in terms of what he was picking up on his environment. "It is a system that seems not be to be favoured by the people in this land."

"You could say that," Kaoru offered slowly as she dumped the tea leaves into the thin filters and deposited them into the three cups. "It's not safe to speak openly of it—just so you know. Behind closed doors, well… it depends on your company, I suppose. People have been executed for speaking against Central's policies or questioning their line of action."

"How terrible," The red head murmured as he shook his head. Kaoru found his response oddly comforting to think that this non-human was in agreement with the majority of what her people thought but she squashed the pang of sympathy that sentiment as she busied herself with heating the water on the ancient stove. "Has it been this way since you were born?"

"They've been in power for about eight years," Kaoru replied evenly.

"So you were born prior in another world," He prodded. "A world that had not been touched by the hands of this Central." His voice was steady as though he were sorting through the information that he was receiving from Kaoru—which she contained to strictly factual data—and the information that was filtering through his hyper sensitivity as he acclimatized himself to the world that he awoke in abruptly with little information other than to 'run'. His gaze was tame and Kaoru had to admit that she would not wish to be in a position such as his with no memorable knowledge of what or who he was prior to slumbering in a world where information was gold and was either insurance or a curse upon your life span.

"You could say that," Kaoru repeated diplomatically.

"Ms. Kaoru is from these lands," He said simply. "From Tereré."

"That's correct," Kaoru answered again patiently as she allowed him to ask questions that she saw no harm in him asking. They were, as far as she was concerned, verifiable facts that would not endanger anyone if he were to possess this knowledge. She felt that the restriction of the most basic of information would hinder him and she permitted herself to attend to his questions as she prepared the strong brew of tea for them.

"This village takes from the mountain and the forest but does not live from it," The foreigner pressed on and Kaoru felt her shoulders stiffen at the underlying tone that was hidden within the very words he spoke. They were once again—factual—but they hinted at a strong accusation at the fact that the citizens of Tereré pillaged the mountain and the forest of their resources to strengthen the Capital's own agenda as well as their cache of tools and weapons. The harvesting of resources was where the surveying brigade came in and the mining and the forestry divisions performed the heaviest of labour. They were endangered by the forest and its creatures constantly as they took without repaying the mountain for being forced to surrender her essence to vitalize Central's greed and necessity to harness more power for their constant siege of campaigns.

"The forest cries, that it does," The red head said impartially as though stating another run-of-the-mill fact. Kaoru felt her cheeks redden at the underlying message he wished to transmit to her in an obvious show of distaste for the destruction of the mountain and the robbing of her precious minerals and tinder. Kaoru was aware that this man was hyper sensitive to the environment and the demonstration of magic to heal her festering wounds was proof beyond words that he was connected to the magical underbelly of the world they inhabited but she was unsure how he fit into the puzzle of the mysterious forest. He himself said he was not from the forest—as far as he knew—and that when he woke up within the wooded area of the mountains, he, too, had been disoriented but able to navigate his way down to the edge of the village. Kaoru understood that his origins were unclear but his ability to adapt to the natural environment was second nature to someone like him.

 _It still doesn't give us any clue to what he is though,_ She thought to herself as she kept an eye on the kettle as she waited for it to whistle. Kaoru ran an appreciative hand over the smooth skin of her neck, marvelling at the fact that it did not seem to have suffered from any injury at all, and she sighed as she trained her gaze to the red head who was watching her with a careful eye that was not hostile but simply curious and alert. In the twenty minutes since she had sent Sanosuke off to fetch their rations, she had been under the careful watch of the foreigner whose attitude was pleasant and benign and whose questions seemed logical and appropriate given the context. When he had emerged from Sanosuke's room donning the other man's clothes, Kaoru noticed he seemed out of place in such garments as he tugged at his sleeves.

"This information that you are receiving from the environment," Kaoru began as she started to formulate a question in her own mind. "What kind of information is it?"

"Ah, yes, well…" He trailed off as he leaned back in his chair and contemplated her question with a genuine sense of sincerity as he mulled over her words. It was a fair question to someone like her whose learning capacity was much more structured in comparison to his. "It is… useful information, I suppose. This one is able to understand and read the environment to better adapt to it. This one can hear the voices of the forest, the cries of a mountain… they tell this one many things, that they do." He paused as he folded his hands together neatly on the table before looking back at Kaoru with a light smile touching his face. "Although this one cannot be sure what information is verifiable or not given the state of my memory…"

"That hypersensitivity is obviously not human," Kaoru said indifferently as she began to pour the hot water over the tea bags, her profile facing him. She was erring on the side of caution as to not offend her bizarre guest and his symphony of oddities that seemed to relentlessly pursue him. "Most here would see it as a curse."

"That could be," He agreed. "It also has its merits."

"The fact that you do not remember anything… it's a bit odd, don't you think?" Kaoru mused aloud as she brought over a cup of tea and set it before him before sliding into the chair across from him. "Doesn't it bother you? Not remembering even where you came from or your name?"

"This one finds it to be fundamentally difficult, yes," He replied slowly as he wrapped his hands around the cup, the runes peeking out and tempting Kaoru's gaze. "However, there is most likely a purpose behind this one's memories ceasing to exist, that there is. What it may be, well, I am unaware… but these sorts of incidents tend to happen for a designated reason that we ourselves may be unable to understand in the beginning." He stared into the tea as he heard Kaoru rustling in her chair before shifting into a more comfortable position.

"Perhaps this is cautious optimism being thrown to the wind," He continued in his soft tone of voice as he raised his eyes to met her own, "But fate has its way of making paths intersect and this one believes that Ms. Kaoru plays an important role in determining why this one was woken once again."

" _Excuse me_?" Kaoru squeaked as she nearly burned her tongue on the hot tea that she was nursing between her hands. "You think that I woke you up?" His face was pleasant and the apologetic smile flickered across his lips as he bowed his head and considered her. Her eyes were alive with a flickering movement of confusion and bafflement at such words and her head spun momentarily before she collected her coolness and stilled herself.

"Not quite wake this one, no," He said thoughtfully as he frowned slightly. "Yet this one was drawn to Ms. Kaoru and to ensuring that you were safe from that creature."

"But," She began as she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in frustration. "What do you and I have to do with each other? If anything, we'd seem like natural enemies: you believe that I am tied to your awakening somehow?"

"It is merely a theory," He corrected. "This one cannot confirm or deny it. This one was instructed to run and to seek out Ms. Kaoru."

"But why?" Kaoru questioned as her voice harshened and her hands balled together, resting on the table. She could feel the oath to refrain from questions slowly slipping from her fingers as her need to understand the circumstances crept up on her. It was intense to apply pressure to such a fragile existence with no recollection of who or what he was yet she knew that they could trail around in circles for days before progressing.

"That is a valid question, Ms. Kaoru, and unfortunately the answer is not as transparent or obvious as it should be," He said with a shrug of his shoulders and watched as her form shrunk in a bit more. She was recoiling from the lack of information and he had already guessed that Kaoru was someone who enjoyed having a fair majority of the picture in her mind. He knew that his lack of memory was a burden on the female seated before him and the lack of such details as a name or even where he was from was already crossing a firmly drawn line in the sand given that his understanding of the climate was one festering with mistrust and hostility.

"Stranger in a strange land," Kaoru mused aloud as she gave him a pained wince. "It's incredible to not have a memory yet have a constant feed of information trickling into your brain."

"Is it uncomfortable for you, Ms. Kaoru?"

"No, not really," She replied as she tilted her head at him and studied his figure. "But without knowing who you are, what you are, and why you're here and why now… there are many key elements that raise suspicion… especially for Sanosuke who is much more experienced with the other side. We know you're not human and we know that you are able to use magic… yet you do not fall into line with anything that we're familiar with.

"When you came to my rescue in the clearing, you made that Espina class vinzinho nervous and it seemed on edge in your presence," She continued as she unfurled her hands and folded her fingers together. "That creature is blind, which makes its other senses much more polished and refined in terms of perceiving its environment. That is a clue that you are much more connected to the Earth than others. Then you were able to disable it momentarily without killing it is also indicative of things that go beyond a general understanding of your relationship with the environment." Kaoru sighed as she crossed her arms and tilted back in her chair. "You were able to heal is allegedly quite a nasty toxin from the Espina… there's a lot of information for us to take in and analyze yet it really gives us no clue about you."

"Yes, that would be a bit off-putting, wouldn't it?" He said with the same at ease smile as he took a long sip of the strong brew of tea and inhaled the gentle mix of herbs that gave it its flavour. "This one does not wish to become a liability to Ms. Kaoru, so, please, forgive my intrusion. The debt that Ms. Kaoru feels obligated to pay is truly not that great." Kaoru's eyes met his momentarily and he felt as though the room darkened around him momentarily as he saw the shadows creep into her eyes before vanishing momentarily. Realizing he had committed some great faux-pas against Kaoru's land's culture, he closed his mouth and silenced himself as he regarded her.

"You are a liability," She agreed slowly. "But my job is another liability, the people I surround myself are liabilities as well. It's nothing, really… while I'm not sure if I can trust you one-hundred percent, you don't seem like you wish to cause problems." Kaoru nodded firmly as she straightened her chair and gazed at the red head.

"This one does not wish to burden you," He said carefully.

"It's nothing, really," Kaoru said as she waved his words away. "If I were in your situation, I would be worried about myself than burdening others: you're not in the best position to make snap decisions. I think it's alright if you count on us—well, at least on me—for a while until you get your feet under you." His smile did not fade at her words and he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as he folded his arms together into a passive position and he sank into his chair comfortably.

"Your hospitality is greatly appreciated by this one," He said in a soft voice that made Kaoru's guard drop momentarily as she felt a wriggling warmth in her chest. "This environment is not conducive to forming strong bonds with those that come from the outside—but Ms. Kaoru's kindness seems to be exceptional." Kaoru watched him carefully as he opened his violet eyes that seemed to have taken on a warm sheen that expressed an unvocalized gratitude that she had not seemed to have ever witnessed in her short existence on Earth. His mannerisms were gentle and he seemed to have infinite patience for trying to comprehend what was occurring around him whereas she knew that she would be demanding information and trying amass as much data possible to make a decision to better her own odds of survival.

A knock at the front door broke the comfortable silence that had blanketed them and Kaoru shot the red-head a look before gesturing for him to make his way to the staircase. He gave her a puzzled look but it creased into a serious one as he shuffled quietly over the floor and vanished upstairs as Kaoru moved towards the front door. She cast one lingering glance to make sure he was fully hidden from view before wrapping her hands around the door handle and opening it to be greeted with Ro's face framed by her golden mane of hair.

"Ro?" She murmured and her friend slid in as Kaoru closed the door and re-bolted it carefully.

"We need to speak now, Kaoru," Ro whispered harshly as her own eyes seemed troubled and her jaw was stiff. Kaoru blinked dumbly at the normally jovial blonde's bubbly aura but she nodded swiftly as she guided Ro towards the table where the two tea cups had been abandoned in the haste to hid the red-headed foreigner. Ro's eyes did not miss the detail as she shot Kaoru a preoccupied look and her eyes darted to the staircase before resting back on Kaoru's face.

"Before you ask," Kaoru said tepidly. "Yes."

"So he…?"

"This morning," Kaoru murmured in reply.

"Where's Sanosuke?"

"I sent him to get rations," Kaoru replied truthfully as she brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. She sank back into the chair she had been previously occupying as she gave Ro a steady look and invited her to sit down at the table as well. Ro carefully pulled the chair out from beneath the table and sat down primly as she arranged her cloak so that it did not snag anywhere. Her face was dark with angry lines and her lips were set firmly together as she fiddled with the hem of her sleeve.

"We've… there's not one way to really say this, you know?" Ro managed to bite out as she gave Kaoru a bewildered look. "But we're one step closer to what you need."

"What do you mean?"

" _We've got a name_."

* * *

A/N: Early update! This chapter was much harder to write but now we're finally getting things in motion! And it was a necessary evil. The next chapter is going to have a bit more of a healthy push to it, so thank you for your patience up to this point!

Also, I've posted another fic from the Gundam Seed arena! I've always been a fan of Athrun and Cagalli's relationship, so I've channeled the idea into using Athrun as a robot who falls in love with a human. Go have a read! :D

As usual, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin characters, but I like to torture them significantly.


	8. Chapter 8

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter VIII

Bonds

"May your journey overflow with cruelty and justice."

* * *

The clinking of plates from the small and dinky kitchen were melodic and broke the silence of the house as Sanosuke rinsed the charred remains of potatoes that Kaoru had attempted to roast in their questionable oven. His sleeves were rolled up to his arms and he was voraciously attacking the caked on remains of potato skin with the cleaning rag and his occasional grunts contributed to the sounds of the household. They had, had two more guests for lunch, much to his annoyance upon returning from fetching the rations, and he was met with three sets of eyes that peered at him curiously as he slammed open the door with the weight potato and rice sacks giving him a comical appearance.

Ro had offered to prepare a quick meal but Kaoru had refused her the task and told her to make herself comfortable. Sanosuke had been quick to pick up on a bizarre vibe that seemed to bounce between the two women but chose wisely to keep his commentary to himself. The red-headed stranger had also offered to assist in the kitchen but a sharp look from Kaoru had silenced him and he contented himself with setting the table with Ro overseeing that he placed everything correctly.

"So this one's name is Kenshin," The red head had said as he poked idly at a chunk of potato that was covered in a questionable cream based sauce that an even more questionable texture. Ro nodded vigorously as she politely stomached another bite of Kaoru's potato-based dish and wrapped her lips around the fork thoughtfully as she mused on how to keep the straightest of faces in the face of adversity that was Kaoru's culinary skill. Skilled as a fighter as she was, in addition to other talents, Ro still failed to see how Kaoru was unable to conceive even basic palatable dishes.

"That's what Tomoe said, yes," Ro replied as she swallowed the food and dabbed her face with a napkin to politely mask her grimace upon swallowing Kaoru's creation. "She said she knew your name but not who you were or what you are. She saw you in one of her visions."

"Kenshin," Kaoru repeated as the name rolled of her tongue easily enough. It was not a name typical of the Northern regions and it did not ring any bells. She had inquired with Ro if it sounded familiar to her based on the lore from the South but the blonde shook her head in reply and gave a shrug.

"I've been meaning to ask, Kenshin, because I'm sure Missy and Ro did not," Sanosuke spoke as he pushed his plate of food aside, abandoning the attempt to try and eat the mess that Kaoru had spooned onto his plate. "When you were upstairs resting, we noticed that there were markings on your right hand." Kaoru and Ro silenced themselves and they lowered their forks to give Sanosuke heated looks that urged him to retract his statement but he ignored them as he studied Kenshin with a critical eye. The aged warrior was already uneasy with Kenshin's presence in his shared household but he was also trying to suppress the flames of curiosity towards the stranger.

"You wish to know what they are?" Kenshin inquired as he lifted his right hand and unfolded his palm, holding his hand perpendicular to the table so that the other three diners could study his hand freely. Kaoru leaned in closer as she reached out and snagged his wrist, not giving the odd behaviour a second thought, and she studied the markings much closer now that Kenshin was awake and seemed to consent the behaviour.

"When you disabled the Espina, you just sort of shoved your hand into it and something happened," Kaoru explained as she raised her gaze to meet his as he focused his stare on her hand joined at his wrist. "You seem to be able to channel your magic through these markings if I'm not wrong." She tilted her head and her hair shifted against her shoulder as she rose from her chair and let her hand slide up to his hand as she cupped it in his momentarily. "We think these are written in runes, but they're not contemporary and we can't recognize them: they don't match the ones from the South or the North."

"Ms. Kaoru is correct, they are runes," Kenshin said neutrally as he withdrew his hand from hers and settled it on his lap. "Although their meaning is jumbled and this one is unsure as to how to decipher them. They do not make any sense." Ro and Sanosuke sighed at the realization that they had fallen nearly back to square one with the red head but Kaoru sat back down as she continued to force her own food down her throat, trying to numb herself to the fact that she had once again created a questionable dish. They had finished their meal in relative quiet, the occasional question being asked and the sounds of stomachs protesting at the heavily sauced potatoes.

Kaoru, Ro, and Kenshin had vanished upstairs, effectively leaving Sanosuke in charge of cleaning the remains from lunch and he could occasionally hear a thud or bump upstairs that, while intriguing, he determined was not enough motive to abandon his post at the kitchen sink. He could hear Ro say something about 'the length' and he heard Kaoru retort with something equally questionable but he tuned them out as he stared through the narrow window that peeked out into the residential area. He noted that their late lunch was nearly coinciding with an early dinner and he knew that sunset was to fall upon them in a good hour or so.

Sanosuke had met Kaoru when they had been paired up for shared housing under Central's latest political decree but he had known about her through Megumi and from seeing her and the other trainees in the Long House. He knew that the girl was reckless in spirit but also intelligent and quick-witted in many ways. She had seen many things as a child that would register as traumatic in his humble opinion but she supplemented it more she became part of the first generation of female patrollers. They shared more than a house in many ways: they shared philosophy, pain, gripes, and an iron-clad friendship that seemed to strengthen as time dragged on mercilessly.

His own origins in Capozana had left little to desire and the imagination and he had migrated to Tereré five years prior as a skilled fighter with unpolished techniques that were forcibly polished under Aoshi and other teachers' brutal trainings.. He had been approached by the local delegation, after gaining notoriety for his involvement in bar brawls, and offered the opportunity to join the patrol division. He had graduated in the second generation, him and twenty other men, and of those select members there were only twelve that had survived the gruelling work. Sanosuke's Capozana roots had already given him a rugged lifestyle and Tereré's industrial reputation added an extra layer of complexity to the seasoned patroller.

Sanosuke had been educated up until he was three years short of finishing the old school system but Capozana's only school was shuttered and he was assigned to work in the mountains doing survey work and protection detail of Central designated Delegates who looked severely out of place. He had learned to become a jack-of-all-trades in terms of weaponry: he was proficient with a blade as well as a smattering of other weapons that were dredged from the confines of Capozana's tiny arsenal. He learned to wield them well enough to fend off and eliminate the vizinhos that wandered the mountains around Capozana but he requested to be changed to border patroller after nearly losing an arm in a particularly vicious altercation. His request was denied and he was given a week off to recover before being reincorporated to guard duty.

After his migration to Tereré and becoming a top-class patroller, he had been made aware of the fact that he would be sharing his already tight quarters with Kaoru, he knew that things would not retain the simple normalcy that he had grown accustomed to over the years. They had first met when they were required to sign the binding document at the Delegation building and Kaoru had given him an empty look as she resignedly signed the scroll and wordlessly handed over the pen to him to do the same. It had taken a good week for her to warm up to him slightly and he summed it up as her being nervous about going out on her first patrols and the fact she was being forced to share a house with someone way above her in rank and experience.

Over time, however, Sanosuke had grown to see how Kaoru was thoughtful and empathetic—rare traits amongst their people—and how things like death would still bother her despite the fact she was surrounded by it and signed a contract that had been a rudimentary death sentence with no exact date. He had learned that she was an early riser and liked to hum in the shower, she seemed to enjoy rice more than potatoes, and that she was a talented artist when he had managed to snag a look at some of her own drawings that would never reach Central's Delegation's government data collection branch. She began to smile in their second month living together as they eased into a bizarre tango of cordial cohabitation but it improved significantly after the first year she had finished as a patroller. By extension he had become friendly with the blonde Southern who had taken to Kaoru and formed a tight-knit relationship.

He often worried about Kaoru when she was out on patrol but his worry was not misplaced given that she had once told him why she had joined the patrol brigade. When they had been into about eight months of living under the same roof, he ventured to ask her the question as to why she joined the patroller division and she had frozen, her pencil nearly falling from her grasp. Her eyes were tense as he could see the frown on her face but she sighed as she met his gaze, explaining her motives for joining arguably the most dangerous job in Tereré.

When she had concluded her explanation, Sanosuke could recall as clear as day how her face had settled into nothingness and impartialness as she resumed her sketch of a flower she had seen in the mountains earlier that day. He was taken aback by her motivation to sign away her life to a government that did her no favours and he had realized he truly knew very little about the dark haired woman who was slowly making a name for herself. Her explanation had been short but it impacted him in such a way that he was left speechless as he reached for the bottle of rye alcohol and took a generous swig to try and ease his thoughts or at least dull the sensation that her words had cast over him.

Kaoru had remained calm during her explanation but her words dripped with a heavy venom that was laced with a flurry of unidentifiable emotions that baffled Sanosuke as he had written Kaoru off to be the contrary to guarding hatred within her heart. He was moved partially by her story and comprehended her difficult situation and her decision to pursue the same profession as him: they all followed similar reasons after all and he was not one to criticize or pass settling judgement on her. He was taken aback by how she spoke and he had taken a moment to collect his own thoughts as he catalogued them on the information he'd gathered about Kaoru—filing it next to her love of field observation and the fact she hated tomatoes with a burning passion.

As he ran his hands over the plate's surface in a final inspection of any residue, Sanosuke sighed to himself as he set the plate aside and shook the soap from his hands before dipping his hands into the water to wash his hands clean. Throwing the rag he had slung over his shoulder aside, he grunted as he abandoned the kitchen and slumped onto the overstuffed sofa as he let his limbs stretch out and he turned his head to stare at the ceiling, his eyes tired and his mind jumbled as he tried to stitch the pieces of information together. The one called Kenshin, the red headed foreigner with no memory, had become a wild card and Sanosuke hated to gamble with high stakes but even he was mildly miffed at the pattern of events that were taking place.

* * *

"So, you two are patrollers," Kenshin said lightly as he sat back in the chair as he allowed Kaoru to untie the leather strap that bound his hair at his nape. She tossed it aside momentarily as she made a face at the work that she had before her and she huffed as she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and grimaced at Ro. Ro was seated in front of Kenshin, her legs propped up on Sanosuke's bed, and she was cradling her head in her hands as she peered at the two with a calm expression on her face. Kaoru had whisked them up the stairs after their late lunch, muttering something about needing to untangle Kenshin's hair, and Ro tagged along for the pure entertainment factor of seeing Kaoru indulge in such practices.

"That's correct," Kaoru answered as she stepped back and took a look at the tools she had brought. She had pilfered an assortment of brushes that she used on her own long tresses and had added a sturdy knife if she needed to cut away anything. She positioned herself behind Kenshin and she leaned forward, studying his mane of crimson hair as she assessed how to best tackle the tangled nest that was his hair.

"What esxact does that entail?" His question was innocent enough as he slid his gaze to the corner of his eye to assess Kaoru's intrinsic study of her tools as she muttered to herself.

"How much do you know about the internal conflicts in our country?" Ro questioned as she lifted a hand to study her stubbing nails before lowering it and meeting the violet stare of Kenshin. The blonde was pleasant enough and seemed to behave much more like Kaoru in regards to accepting his foreignness but she brimmed with a sharpness to her that Kenshin could not quite place.

"From what the forest and mountain speak of, this one understands that there is a significant conflict between humans and the Earth itself," He replied neutrally as his face froze into one that refused to reveal any particular opinion on the matter. "The forest cries out in pain and this one can hear it—but humans are also enduring trying times and severe conditions, something that Ms. Kaoru and Sanosuke have hinted at." Kaoru nodded along at his explanation, mildly impressed at his ability to gather that information on his own accord given that she refused to discourse him in the more gruesome aspects of their predicaments.

"You're correct in assuming that there is conflict between us and those who come from the Earth," Kaoru finally relented. "There's a tertiary conflict as well that is not quite as obvious—the one between humans as well." Ro's eyebrow cocked as she trained her gaze on Kaoru as she was unsure as to what her blue eyed friend was able to explain and she herself was curious to see how she would present a lengthy conflict to someone lacking memory of even who he was.

"But what you asked about was patrollers," Kaoru continued as she gracefully and skillfully deviated the conversation back to his original question as she plucked up a sharp comb and began to slowly work through a particularly rugged tangle that had formed at the split ends of his red locks. "A patroller is a part of an autonomous division that is in charge of going into the mountains and the forest and making sure that the logging paths or the mining areas are safe for the survey and resource corps to work. We're basically a security detail that makes sure that the government can get their resources."

"Central?"

"That's them," Ro replied. "Anything to keep their hands clean—they handed us a weapon after a few months of training and basically make us go against the very thing they need destroyed. Better to have others sully their hands, you know?"

"You destroy the creatures of the forest," Kenshin concluded to which both women nodded as Kaoru grunted, snagging a heavy knot. Kenshin did not register the annoying tug as she tried to undo the heedy knot but his eyes closed as he tried to categorize the information. Ro had leaned further back so that her shoulder blades touched the wall and she crossed her arms over her patched shirt as she sent Kaoru a sympathetic look.

"It's not something we're fond of," Ro offered waywardly as she shrugged once again. "We essentially became _tools_ … and we just follow orders, not question the politics for the sake of keeping out of the spotlight. After all, it is a job for us that gives us enough to live off of and these days we cannot risk being without a job too long. Central is ruthless and once you're deemed irredeemable to them, they ensure that you do not live off the very little they throw our way." The blonde's voice cracked as she yawned and closed her own eyes as she felt Kaoru's potato mishap gurgle in her stomach.

"Central requires the resources to ensure that they are always able to have their arsenal full and Tereré has always been an industrial area," Kaoru explained carefully as she grinned at freeing one knot and brushing the long strand of hair away, parting it to the side for later use. "We are lucky to have a lot of precious metals and iron and it fuelled a lot of the regional trade prior to Central taking over. Now it's all manufactured and processed here but sent to the military in the Central capital.

"Of course everyone is aware that Central forces the survey and resource corps to harvest too much and this aggravates a lot more tension on top of the previous conflict that they waged with the vizinhos," Kaoru continued as she started to work at another knot, eyeing her handy-work critically.

" _Vizinho_?"

"It's what we've come to call the non-human creatures that dwell in the forest," Ro answered as her eyes remained closed. "They're the ones from the other side—the side we cannot cross over to ourselves." She fell silent as her eyebrow twitched and she craned her neck back, the crown of her head resting against the wall as her hands furled in the blankets on the bed and she bit her lip nervously.

"Central launched a campaign to exterminate them," Kaoru said quietly as she ran her fingers through some nasty red strands that were severely tangled. "Within their first two years of governing the country, they had managed to eliminate a significant population of the vinzinhos that dwelled our earth." Kenshin's shoulders tensed at her words and Kaoru forced herself to hold back the continuation of her explanation as she sighed heavily and busied herself even further with his hair. She knew that this information was probably conflicting with whatever information had been fed to him by the environment but she knew better than to refute it or question what he had been able to pick out from the details.

"Central basically waged mass genocide on a non-human species it deemed a threat when historically humans and vizinhos that had crossed over to our lands had been able to coexist and harmonize without much conflict," Ro said bitterly as she opened her eyes but refused to look at the other two. "Central basically forces us to kill off what they had been unable to do so or, rather, had failed to do so. All in the name of ensuring that their influence is not jeopardized and that they have free access to the resources without any fuss." Kenshin was still deathly silent as his pupils seemed to dilate and shrink at their words and both women knew that he was trying to unearth the reason why such acts would take place in former times of peace.

"This one finds this entire situation to be horribly cruel," Kenshin finally managed to speak as he seemed apt at shuffling through the information and picking out conclusions. "The world was not this way prior to Central taking over?"

"It was peaceful and quiet," Kaoru answered tactfully as she separated another lengthy strand of hair and laid it aside. "The North was still quite industrial, but we only took what we needed for surviving and not in excess. However—"

"—Those of us in the South have a completely different relationship with the vizinhos," Ro cut in as she finally glanced at the two who were watching her. "Our closeness to the creatures of the other side is what ultimately came to be the catalyst that ensured that the Southern lands were the ones that were pillaged and destroyed most in the campaigns. The conflicts were vicious and everything was turned upside down, eh. We can barely recognize a lot of what is left after Central blew through. That was one of the reasons my husband and I came up to the North." She uncrossed her arms as her eyes seemingly glazed over in the memory of her beloved homeland. "We have always had much more contact with the magical beings of the other world and the South maintained a wonderfully mutual relationship with them… but now…" She trailed off as she let out a miserable chuckle and a sad smile flickered across her face.

"Whatever the forest is telling you is probably true," Kaoru finished off as she trailed her fingers down his neck, counting the strands of hair she had untangled successfully. "Most citizens from outside Central will probably be in agreement with you. Even those who do not wish to partake in the government sanctioned labour programs are against violence and the massacre of those from the other side." Her blue eyes were hazy as she saw Kenshin glance back at her curiously and she gave him a half grin that did not quite reach her azure stare. "Yet those who oppose or are even suspected of subversive behaviour are quickly disposed of—you can probably imagine that's why Sanosuke is so adverse to having you here."

"Most of us have suffered casualties in the conflicts and campaigns," Ro remarked. "The patrolling division is notorious for that very reason: one of the requisites is that you have no living family left to even be able to access the training regime. It's seen as a liability." Kenshin's ears perked at the word 'liability' as he had heard Kaoru use it various times in their short time together and he assumed it had become a fairly standard word in their vocabulary.

"But you said you had a husband?" Kenshin inquired as he winced as Kaoru's brush made contact with a nasty tangled mess of hair.

"That's correct—I _had_ one," Ro answered deftly. "He was killed prior to me joining the patrolling division." Kenshin's mouth closed as he was unsure as how to react to such an impartial statement but he was discovering that these villagers lived through vicious moments that changed their overall perception on death and it became a part of their daily landscape. He thought to ask Kaoru about her family but decided against it, seeing as a fairly unjust question to ask to someone treating him with hospitality and housing him from the prying eyes of Central.

"Anyway, as patrollers we are trained to disable and kill vizinhos that could be a potential threat to the corps that work for the government's resource delegation," Ro continued briskly as she waved away his look of concern with a flippant gesture. "That's the uglier side of the job—and the most dangerous, obviously."

"There's another part?"

"Field observation," Ro replied as she grinned a bit more and jerked her head in Kaoru's direction. "Kaoru's a great fighter and can handle a sword well, but she's great at field observation and data collection. We constantly come across things in the forest that we have never seen before, so we have to take notes and turn them over to the Central delegation. What they do with them… well, we really don't know… but Kaoru's really good at it." Kaoru gave a bashful smile as she set the comb aside and ran her fingers through the lower ends of his hair, pleased to have been able to untangle it significantly.

"Is that why Ms. Kaoru was drawing this one and making notes?" Kenshin inquired as he looked back at her, a hint of amusement touching his eyes as he gave her an easy smile.

"Y-you knew about _that_?" She squeaked as she rubbed her hands together nervously and gave a light chuckle as her cheeks flushed slightly. She had been sure that he had been completely knocked out prior to sketching out his figure and making notes on him in her notebook. She had requested that Sanosuke verify that he was deeply asleep—to which the fighter had given her an incredulous look—and realized that even if he had been unconcious, he still potentially could pick up on things from the surrounding environment.

"This one heard quite a bit of the conversation that you three had, that I did," Kenshin said as he looked back at Ro who seemed highly intrigued as to why Kaoru was flushed and was giving her a knowing grin. "I believe Ms. Ro was teasing Ms. Kaoru about her habits of sketching things when the opportunity arises—and the interest in this one's right hand." He gave an impassive smile as Kaoru's face turned a deeper red as she looked away from him and stared at Sanosuke's bedroom wall to avoid eye contact with the red-head.

"Sounds about right," Ro chortled as she chuckled again.

" _Ro,_ " Kaoru hissed as she shot the blonde a horrified look.

"This one doesn't mind," Kenshin said calmly as he leaned back into Kaoru's hands and marvelled at the gentleness with which she worked on his hair. "Perhaps Ms. Kaoru's observations can solve the mystery as to who this one is?"

"That could be," Ro agreed as her grin widened even more.

"Would you two please _stop_?" Kaoru whined as she felt her hands form a careful shape to cradle Kenshin's head as he relaxed between her fingers. The blonde tilted her head but refused to wipe the grin from her youthful face and the red-headed stranger seemed content with the banter that Ro was instigating to lighten the mood after such heavy topics of conversation. The three sat in a comfortable silence as the sound of Kaoru's brush working through Kenshin's hair soothed them into a pensive state of being. Ro was observing the two of them with piqued interest, Kaoru was invested in ensuring that Kenshin's hair was tamed, and Kenshin himself was imprinting his mind with the movements that Kaoru made. He felt inexplicably drawn to her as though his entire existence sang out to her soul but he knew that she was unaware of it for the moment given that there was no response back to his own calling out.

"You're on for tomorrow, by the way," Ro's voice broke their momentarily reprieve as she adjusted her position on Sanosuke's bed. "Tae has assured me that our weapons are repaired and ready to go and Aoshi's put us back on rotation."

"Are we paired together?"

"Damned straight we are," Ro replied as she flashed Kaoru a cheeky look. "After what happened the other day, we cannot have you wandering around with someone who won't have your back like I will!" She flexed a muscle playfully as she patted her bicep with a grossly exaggerated gesture. Kaoru giggled and glanced down at Kenshin who looked puzzled by their conversation and it occurred to her to ask: "Kenshin, was it you who rescued us yesterday?"

" _Ah_?" He replied in confusion as he turned his glance back to Kaoru who was looking at him expectantly. Ro's eyes were also trained on him as she patiently waited for him to respond to Kaoru's inquiry and her expression flattened when he shook his head. "This one was only woken this morning—it would be impossible to have rescued the two of you, that it would. My apologies." Kaoru's face remained indifferent but he could sense the disappointment rolling off of her as she shrugged it away and continued to finish her work on his hair before patting his shoulder lightly.

"S'okay," She said.

"Hey, Kaoru, since we're working tomorrow morning, why don't you take Kenshin up to Mendiak beforehand? If he's going to be in Tereré for a while, you might as well show him a bit more of the village—or at least the only decent part of it."

"What is Mendiak?"

"It's the highest point that looks over Tereré that does not go into the mountains," Kaoru answered as she rested her hands on the back of the chair and leaned in slightly, much to Kenshin's surprise at her closeness after her resistance in the bathroom. "You can see the village as well as a bit of the landscape we have and it's one of the nicer places in Tereré."

"If you guys go out early enough, no one will see him," Ro suggested as she gave them a thoughtful look. "The first hours of the morning, despite the greyness of everything, is the best time to see the village from above. The shift from night to rainy day is quite unreal—although it's depressing after a few years of this." She frowned comically and Kaoru snorted as she watched the blonde wrangle with her complex emotional relationship with the North.

"Ro's a Southerner who grew up with sunlight and warmth and she never really liked the weather we have here," Kaoru explained as Kenshin stared at the blonde with a mild expression on his face. "But she's right, I guess we could go to Mendiak before my shift starts—if you want, of course! You might still be tired from all the chaos of… whatever _this_ is."

"This one would appreciate such a kind gesture," Kenshin said as he reached behind him and touched one of Kaoru's hands gently as he gave her another soft smile. Kaoru noted that despite his circumstances and the situation that he was rudely awoken into, he still was able to smile significantly and though they were small, they were always gentle and authentic and held nothing that hinted at underlying sinister intentions. She found herself oddly comfortable around a stranger—an oddity for her—yet she seemed at ease knowing that despite the unknown origins of his being, he seemed to be a gentle existence in a very turbulent world.

"Alright then," Kaoru relented as she felt his hand caress hers with a tenderness that was reminiscent of the magic he seemingly infused into her body earlier that day. "We can go to Mendiak tomorrow morning if that's what you'd like." Ro nodded in approval as she rose from the bed and moved towards the door, vanishing down the stairs as she called out Sanosuke's name in her sing-song accent to which the fighter grumbled an unintelligible reply.

"Ms. Kaoru?"

"Hmm?" She hummed as she watched him withdraw his hand and let it rest on his lap.

"You truly do not believe in the mission of Central to ensure that they control all of the resources—at least, that is what this one assumes by your reactions," Kenshin began as he slowly lumbered to his feet and turned to face her. He took in how similar they were in height, him mere centimetres taller than her, and he marvelled at how such a youthful face could have such knowledgeable eyes at her age. "What is Ms. Kaoru's one wish to see in this world?"

"My wish?" She parroted as she eyed him with a baffled expression but softened it at the realization that it was a truly weighty question that even she was unsure how to answer. She dug her socked toe into the hard wooden floors of Sanosuke's room as she gave him a pained smile that enhanced the wisdom and tragedy that her soul seemed to carry as a burdening weight. It was a topic that was never discussed amongst the citizens living under Central's regime for fear that their words would carry back to the government and come back as a strict punishment with unfortunate consequences. She had entertained the thought many times as she would curse Central internally but remain a cool exterior in the attempts to protect herself but she found it costly to vocalize her words and thoughts.

"I can't really say," She settled for as she ceased her toe's digging into the ground and straightened her back. "At least not right now—but I can tell you that it ends in happiness." Kenshin blinked at her answer, reminding her of an owl, but his expression was docile as he reached out and took her hands into his own and rubbed his thumbs over the callouses that danced across her war-worn hands.

"This one does not require an answer right away, but in the same regard, I wish that your wish comes true if it is to end in happiness," He said in a gentle yet firm voice. "Ms. Kaoru's hospitality has been generous but please, allow this one to aid in whatever way possible to ease the burdens that Ms. Kaoru carries. There is great suffering wherever the eyes can see, but Ms. Kaoru, please do not suffer alone."

"I-I'm sorry?" She managed to say as she looked down at his hands once again and then back to his face. "I don't quite understand, Kenshin…"

"There is no need to understand and perhaps this one is overstepping boundaries," He replied steadily and thoughtfully as he halted rubbing his thumbs over his hands and reached to interlock their fingers together as he exhaled softly. "Yet please count on this one's support for whatever Ms. Kaoru may require." She was silent as she felt his warmth seemingly pool into her cold existence as it wrapped around her once again in a comforting embrace that evoked many emotions within her that she had left untouched for the better part of her adult life.

"Oh, well… I…. _thanks_ ," She settled for as she slowly unlaced her fingers from his and took a tentative step backwards before pivoting around. "Let's go back downstairs, shall we? Ro is probably giving Sano problems by the sounds of it." Her eyes did not meet his but the flushing of her cheeks did not escape his sharp gaze and he found something within him fluttering as he watched her slide through the doorway quietly. He was fascinated deeply with this human and he could slowly begin to understand why the voice in his head had urged him to locate her and come to her rescue: she was an absolutely divine enigma of a human that could potentially give him a run for his money and keep him on his toes. While his mind was blank and his memories cloudy, he was steady becoming more and more convinced that she was to play a great part in whatever reason he was brought back to life from what he theorized to have been an eternal slumber.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru's voice called from downstairs as he heard a string of curses from Sanosuke and Ro's bell-like laugh drift upwards. "C'mon!" He sighed as he glanced at the mirror that was propped against Sanosuke's wall and stared at his own reflection with a halting gaze at the man that glowered back at him. He turned further to stare at the reflecting glass as the man in white button up and too-big-slacks mimicked each movement he made and it was unsettling to him to stare at himself in the mirror. The cross-shaped scar on his face, a prominent feature indeed, beckoned to him and he reached up to trace his index finger over the raised skin before letting his hand drop to his side. He could understand why Kaoru, Ro, and Sanosuke thought he was human—he was identical in physical appearance—yet he knew that whatever churned within him was definitely not human and would be a point of separation from growing closer to them.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru's voice was slightly impatient. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, now you're worried about him," Ro's voice teased and Sanosuke's muttering seemed to permeate each corner of the confines of the house. "C'mon, Kenshin! She never shows this much interest in anyone!" Ro yelped as Kenshin registered what sounded like a proper smack on her shoulder and Kaoru's telling her off reached his ears. Turning away from the reflecting glass, he trotted towards the doorway and down the stairs only to find the trio seated on the sofa, squished together as Ro and Kaoru berated Sanosuke for stretching out too much.

Despite the cloudy haze that hung in his brain and the lack of information on himself, Kenshin felt a great weight lift from his shoulders as he watched the three of them bicker amicably, Kaoru's elbow digging into Sanosuke's ribs and Ro pushing another limb away from the edge of the sofa to make more space. These three, as Kenshin was slowly learning, had formed a bizarre familiar unit despite the roaring world around them that was scented with death and the ever lingering threat of being killed. They were still able to have relative moments of humanity and had not completely been cast to a seemingly numb state of existence that would be expected of such fragile and emotionally strung creatures.

Even through the haze, he found an orb of calmness as he watched Kaoru jab Sanosuke once more and he reached out to seize it, ultimately sealing himself to this rag-tag trio of individuals that had taken him in.

* * *

AN: Alright! Another chapter out of the way! As usual, I don't own the characters, just the plot line and the war-torn world. You'll see that there are slow hints at another world existing in parallel to their own and that's going to be the second arc of this story. So, look forward to that! To all that review, thank you so much! :D

I've also bumped the rating down to T, there's nothing M related for a good bit. :) Also, if you're looking for something else to read between updates, I've also uploaded a Gundam Seed story that's a bit unconventional but an absolute blast to write!

A few notes:

 **Tereré** is actually a drink from Northern Argentina/Paraguay/Uruguay and it mixes very bitter mate tea with a sweeter critic juice (usually orange or lemon). I just wanted to use the word Tereré at some point, but I guess it could be used to draw a point of contrast between the sweet memories of the past and the bitterness of the present.

 **Mendiak:** Is a word for 'Mountain' from Euskera, spoken in Northern Spain (Basque Country and Navarre) and Southern France (Pays Basque).


	9. Chapter 9

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter VIIII

History

"May your journey overflow with answers and mysteries."

* * *

"You should put this on," Kaoru said quietly as she extended her hands out to Kenshin, offering him a white cloak that had faded to a creamy colour from significant use. "Sorry it's not new—but it's clean and it should fit you, I think." Kenshin eyed it momentarily, knowing his own cloak was safely folded away and tucked upstairs, but he accepted the garment silently as he nodded in thanks. Kaoru moved away from him as she glanced back up the stairs to ensure that Sanosuke was still asleep before jerking her head at Kenshin, gesturing him to follow her.

The previous evening Ro had stayed on for dinner, this time volunteering to prepare the meal much the general relief of the group, and Kenshin had taken the time to speak to Sanosuke about certain things about the North as he tried to familiarize himself with the bizarre new world he found himself immersed in. Sanosuke had taken to his questioning with a bit of suspicion at first but as Kaoru encouraged him to answer the questions, his tone had lightened and he seemed truly intrigued by Kenshin's presence and his use of magic. While Kenshin had not been able to answer any of Sanosuke's questions about certain lore and their validity, he appreciated the human fighter's effort to at least contextualize his situation a bit more.

"Oh, this looks _much_ better than Missy's lunch, ain't going to lie," Sanosuke breathed as he studied the stew that Ro had thrown together using a plethora of vegetables and spices that she had smuggled in from the South. The food was appetizing and Kaoru shamelessly dug into the warm stew, uncaring that Ro was a better cook than her. Kenshin ate his with much more restraint, the spices foreign to him, but found it quite palatable as it settled warmly in his stomach. The Southern seemed pleased that her improvised meal was a hit and she encouraged everyone to have a second bowl as she laddled it out enthusiastically.

Sanosuke had escorted Ro back to her home on the other end of the village in the secondary residential district and the two women had hugged each other and agreed to meet at the Long House after Kaoru took Kenshin to Mendiak. As Ro's blonde hair was tucked under her wide brimmed hat, she gave a wave to Kaoru who was standing in the doorway before turning away and trailing after Sanosuke who was waiting for her a few meters ahead. After closing the door, Kaoru let out a huge breath as she ran a tired hand through her hair and caught Kenshin watching her passively from his seat on the sofa.

"Ms. Ro seems like she is a wonderful friend, that she is," He said as Kaoru joined him on the opposite end of the sofa.

"She's the closest to a sister that I will have, at least in this life time," Kaoru replied stiffly as she stretched and arched her back to work out the knot that had formed there. "I've never met someone quite like her before—but I'm glad that I did." Kenshin nodded tentatively before he turned his gaze to the books that Sanosuke had left scattered about on the floor. His eyes could pick up on the fact they were written in the modern language—one he did not know how to read—but he was able to make out that they seemed to be connected to the Northern regions given that Ro had explained that the Southern alphabet was slightly more flowery but still mutually intelligible.

He and Kaoru had sat in a wonderfully comfortable silence, the dinner settling nicely in their stomachs, much to Kaoru's relief knowing she would have patrol duty the next day, and he could feel Kaoru's body petering out as sleep seemed to await her. He snuck a peek at her and saw that her head was listing to the side as she stared into the fire, her azure orbs capturing the licking dance of the flames, and he felt his throat catch at the serenity of the expression on her face. It was only when Sanosuke came through the door that Kaoru had excused herself for the evening, gesturing that Kenshin could sleep on the sofa and that Sanosuke would bring him blankets and a pillow, and she retreated for the evening as her frame slowly lumbered up the stairs.

Kenshin found that the sofa's proximity to the warmth of the fire was quite pleasant and he found that sleep was much easier to pursue as he allowed his body to relax and his mind to wander as he coaxed himself to sleep. It was a dreamless sleep for him—something he was unsure to register as normal or abnormal in his case—but it was consistent as he found Kaoru gently shaking his shoulder hours later as she mouthed the word 'Mendiak' to him before gliding away into the shadows of the house. She flitted about like a delicate spirit that zipped through the rich greenery of the forest: weightless and graceful.

He found that he had a new change of clothing, once again Sanosuke's older unused garments, and that Kaoru had somehow procured shoes for him that fit his feet. Kenshin contemplated asking where she had been able to get such footwear but weighed the options and opted to keep his question to himself. The sensation of having his feet enclosed in the bizarre espadrilles was uncomfortable but Kaoru hushed him when she reminded him that their climate was inappropriate for walking around barefoot. He changed clothes quickly by the gentle light of the fire and turned to find Kaoru waiting for him at the doorway, her dark midnight blue hair braided back neatly and covered with a red cap.

"This way," She whispered as she slowly unbolted the door and pulled it open to allow Kenshin to slide through. "Put the hood of the cloak up though—even if no one is on the street, we don't want anyone to see you. There's no red heads here." Kenshin quirked an eyebrow at her request but complied as he silently pulled the hood up and masked his crimson mane of hair. He watched as she closed the door and tugged at her own cap quickly before stepping off their small stoop and gestured him to follow her.

"We're right before the sun is supposed to rise," She whispered quietly as he drew up beside her and matched her pace. "If we're quick, we can make it just in time." Kaoru's words were reassuring and he took stock of the sky that loomed above them: it was dark but small tendrils of a lonely grey seemed to form small streams of light that cut through the blackness. There were no stars or a moon yet there seemed to be an ethereal light that touched the village in a hesitant fashion.

"This is the residential area," Kaoru explained slowly as they rounded a corner and she wedged her way between two houses, Kenshin close on her heels. "This is where most of the patrollers, surveyors, and miners live—it's small, but we're not that many here." She looked back to ensure he was still within earshot and as they emerged onto one of the main arteries of Tereré, she took a sharp left that jutted uphill and took them through what looked like to be older houses of a different built from the ones that they had just seen.

"This is the oldest part of the village," She remarked as she pointed out a stone house. "That used to be my house before it was taken by Central…" Kenshin did not say anything but he felt another pang of sympathy go out to Kaoru as her face darkened momentarily at the vision of her parents' old home. She whirled away though and guided him up a steep stone staircase that wound through the old district and crested at the top of a flowery hill that was covered with evergreen trees and a few stone remains. While she did not comment on the area they were passing through, Kenshin could make out the shape of what used to be the foundation of a house, but he ripped his attention away from theorizing what could have happened as Kaoru jogged a bit faster towards a narrowly carved path in the side of a rock face.

"I hope you don't mind climbing," She called out as she sped up a bit more and took a bounding leap as she latched onto the rock face and what looked to be natural hand-holds that had been eroded into the surface. She used her momentum she had gathered on the ground to scale the rock face, her muscles rippling beneath her cloak as her cap nearly slipped from her head. Still, she persisted and Kenshin watched in awe as she shimmied her way up the side of what he now saw was the mountain and she worked with an elegant dexterity he would have never expected from a human. The great strength she was showing now was a complete one-eighty from the girl he had encountered in the clearing and he watched as she breached the top of the cliff and peered down to him.

"C'mon, Kenshin! You're going to miss it!" She called down in a muted voice as she glanced around guiltily to see if anyone was observing them. Satisfied that the world was just for the two of them at the moment, she beckoned for him to climb up. Kenshin eyed the first foot hold and realized he would need to jump much like she did to be able to begin climbing the tiny side of the mountain. Taking a few steps backwards as he tested his balance, he took off across the ground as he feet ghosted over the stone and he took a running leap as he secured his hold in the same crannies that she had and he hauled himself up.

Kaoru's face peeked down at him as he pulled himself up quickly and deftly, a feline grace about him that hinted at something much more powerful in his body, and she moved back as he crested the top of the structure and was met with Kaoru's face plastered with a grin.

"I haven't done that in ages, honestly," She admitted as she jogged lightly in place before trotting further ahead and gesturing for him to catch up. "It would have been embarrassing if I had fallen." Kenshin remained silent as he drew pace with her and watched as she rounded another corner and they came across a narrow footpath that spidered its way upwards a bit more.

"It's just after this last bit here," Kaoru explained. "Let's go—otherwise we would have wasted all that time for nothing." She bared her teeth as she set upwards the steep path that was a meter long and ran between two edges of the mountains. She braced herself against the sides as she pushed herself forward, her natural momentum working with physics as she continued to move forward, occasionally looking back to ensure that Kenshin was behind her. Her cloak was bunching around her legs uncomfortably but she grit her teeth as she propelled herself ahead the last six meters before they were spat out onto a plateau like structure that had the forest flanking them behind them but overlooked the village.

Kaoru's breath was laboured as she huffed and puffed slightly in the crisp morning air, but she was relieved when Kenshin pulled up next to her and seemed slightly winded as well. It was a taxing climb indeed but she knew that the red-head was in for a truly beautiful spectacle that made the gruelling climb worth it. She plopped down on the ground heavily as she adjusted her cloak and patted the ground next to her in invitation.

"We made it," She managed to puff out as she tried to catch her breath.

"This is Mendiak?"

"Yep," She replied as she tossed her braid aside with a brush of her hand. "This is a pretty special place for those of us who are born here." Her eyes were half lidded as they traced the sleepy form of the village that was still hidden by the nighty shadows and even Kenshin's hypersensitive vision could not pick through the shapes in the darkness. He turned his gaze to study Kaoru as her lips flickered into a smile that seemed to be a roar of something from the past that brought her happiness and not the current moment perched on the top of a plateau in the mountain.

"Why is that?"

"Why is it special?" She wove her fingers together as she inhaled deeply. "Well… it is one of the few places that Central has not touched in Tereré because there was nothing here to them of value. It is the same as when I was a child," Kaoru explained as she allowed her eyes to close and her back straightened as a light breeze rustled their cloaks and loose strands of hair. "Maybe to Central, it's true, there is nothing here that can be exploited for their benefit. If you look around, there are no factories or forges or houses to claim.

"But to those of us who are from Tereré," She continued as her voice dropped momentarily as another gust of wind picked up around them. "The story of the village can be seen from Mendiak because it looks over the entire village. Tereré's conception, its growth, its pride, and its demise—they can all be seen from here above. For many of us, this is as close as we can get to the Heavens above us in many ways. Most do not come up here because it is… it is a painful reminder of what we become knowing what we _were_ … but…" She trailed off as she opened her blue eyes and tilted her head up to the darkened sky as she inhaled deeply.

"But the story of Tereré is far from over: at least I would like to believe that," Kaoru finished as she huddled her arms around her cloaked body and cast her gaze over at Kenshin. "Tereré and its people are resilient by nature because of the climate and the environment our ancestors decided to erect the village and there is not a lot of affection towards Central. Tereré was always of interest to Central not only because of its industrial heritage but also because, I think at least, there is a fear of rebellion and ensuring control here eliminates the changes of them losing a strong-hold. If they were to lose an industrial village like this one... it would be a massive blow."

"Ms. Kaoru?" Kenshin's voice was breathless as he caught her eyes with his and held them in a fixed stare that made her shiver inwardly. "Why are you telling this one all of this?" She raised an eyebrow at him out of natural reaction before she broke their eye contact and looked back down on her village as she squared her shoulders proudly. His sharp eye caught that, despite the brave face she plastered on her face, there was a slight faltering to her stance that hinted at conflicting internal turmoil that seemed to mark the girl's personality in many ways.

"To be honest, Kenshin, I don't know why," She answered truthfully. "Maybe because I believe information is a greater weapon than any tool forged by fire or maybe because this is my way of introducing you to what was our world _before_ Central—I can't be sure." She lowered her gaze to her knees as she stared at them thoughtfully. "However, there's a part of me that wants to be like that stream of information that you have pouring into your mind: the forest and the mountains may tell you one thing but having another source of information is never a terrible thing either. I want you to understand that not all of us humans are bad."

"Then would Ms. Kaoru please tell this one the story of Tereré?" She looked over at him quickly, her neck swivelling quickly as she eyed him with a wide-eyed stare at such a simple yet profound request. "Perhaps by understanding Tereré and its people, this one will be able to understand Ms. Kaoru as well—at least better." He gave her a reassuring smile that made her heart skip a beat momentarily before she nodded in hesitant agreement and motioned for him to sit closer to her and he obliged as he slid next to her to the point he could feel the warmth of her body.

"Tereré was founded nearly six hundred years ago by people who had wished to explore the Northern frontier with the neighbouring country," Kaoru began as she drew closer to Kenshin, nearly leaning into him. "If you look-" She pointed to a central tower like structure that seemed to mark the epicentre of the village, "-That is the original watch tower built by the first settlers. They say that nearly four hundred people migrated from the South but after the first winter, less than half had survived. That tower was built not only for surveillance, but it is also where we used to lay the ashes of the departed so that they could return to the Earth. It was and still is the highest structure in Tereré.

"Now, of those one hundred fifty or so that had survived, the majority were actually women who had not been relegated to the elements and had been tasked with keeping the fires going in the house—a tradition we still practice today, but men do it, too," She continued as she pointed at a smattering of stone houses that seemed to have sagged with the passage of time but still stood in defiance of the harsh environment. "Those are some of the oldest houses in the village—I don't know if they're from the first settlers, but they were built in that general area. Now Central has turned them into Delegation offices because they are the houses that were best built to retain the heat from the hearth, but they no longer belong to the families that inherited them from their ancestors.

"In Tereré, at least up until about fifty years ago, when a woman and man were to be wed, the families would build them a new house with the intention of building a foundation for a family," Kaoru pointed out as she moved her pointer finger slightly to the East. "The village expanded East-ward to avoid building so close to the mountain due to the dangers as well as the proximity to what we now call vizinhos. Those houses that you see over there are more or less between fifty and two hundred years old… but we fell out of practice as society modernized a bit more. Still, you can hear jokes about marriage and building a new house—of course it's a joke." She laughed nervously as she lowered her index finger and looked over at Kenshin who was listening to her intently.

"The family was sacred to Tereré given that the harsh conditions made it a necessity to have a strong network of loved ones to depend on," Kenshin summarized and Kaoru nodded. "This one feels a great sadness that seems to come from that area of the village— _why_?"

"Well, considering those were the houses where newly wedded families lived, you can imagine that there would be a lot of children that were born in the Eastern districts," Kaoru explained tentatively as she frowned slightly. "Unfortunately, because of the climate we live in and the lack of modern medicine and medical practices in those days, many babies and childern died of disease, frost-bite, or other causes that were not really documented as well as they should have been. Starvation was another big one, too. The climate here is not ideal to have a healthy family and being far from the Central plain makes it hard for medical supplies to reach here in the depths of winter. What you may feel as sadness could be that, I suppose."

Kaoru grew quiet as her eyes scanned the village's topography before she raised her finger again and pointed at the Southern district of the village. Kenshin's eyes fell to the area and he was able to pick out what looked to be large stone warehouses with black smoke spiralling from their smokestacks. There were carts outside the warehouses, some covered haphazardly with tarps, others not, but they were lined up neatly as though awaiting to be carted away.

"That's the industrial district," Kaoru explained as Kenshin leaned in further to the point they were joined at the soldier and he could smell the sweetness of Kaoru's soap. "About two hundred years ago, Tereré's residents began to realize that the lands around the village were full of resources—metals especially. They started to take the minimum necessary to start a trade route with the rest of the country. Now there is a lot of manufacturing of firearms and other military tools, but in the past, Tereré was known for sword-making and the high quality steel used to craft them. In fact, my ancestors were blade-smiths, but that died out with my grandfather. No one is allowed to make swords under the new government, but up until a few years ago, there were still some families that practiced the art.

"The Western district is where Sanosuke and I live," Kaoru continued as she moved along the conversation to avoid divulging much more information about herself. "It's the newest of the districts and where most of us live. There's still some people in the Eastern district, like Ro, but that's because the government has not forced them to move yet. Not many people want to live in the Eastern part of Tereré."

"Ms. Ro seems quite content to live there," Kenshin pointed out.

"That's because Ro and her late husband had a house there together," Kaoru replied. "Central cannot really take her house because it requires its owners to both be dead in order for them to appropriate it to their own needs. Since Ro's husband knew about Central's politics on that, he made sure that she was signed onto the deed so that it was not taken away from her." Kaoru felt the weight of his body against hers and she cautiously looked his way only to find Kenshin's gaze cast over the city as his eyes roamed over the structures that she was pointing out to them.

"Tereré seems to carry sadness yet pride and dignity," Kenshin said in a low voice as he looked up and trained his gaze on the sky that spread out above them. "This environment is truly a divine test of survival as well as resilience as Ms. Kaoru had said. Yet… even amongst the tragedy, people survive and live—not freely, but they have survived. That is a feat for humans, that it is." He lowered his gaze back to the village below them and inhaled the crisp cool morning air as it raced through his lungs and pierced his body with the true ruggedness of the Northern winds.

"Small but mighty," Kaoru said jokingly as she sighed. She, too, looked up to the sky and blinked rapidly in crude realization before shooting to her feet quickly, startling Kenshin who had seemed quite mum to be seated on the plateau with her. She swiftly approached the edge of the plateau, the winds ripping at her cloak and sending her braid fluttering as she rested her hand on her cap to avoid it being blown away.

"Kenshin! Come here!" She called to him as she turned to look at him, her face framed by wisps of blue-black hair that billowed in the great winds, the shadows slowly retreating from her face. Her profile against the darkness was a stark contrast as the light of her existence seemed to brighten the fading night sky and Kenshin rose to his feet, stopping a mere meter behind her as he watched her turn back to stare over the village and beyond what they could both see in present time. Her tiny body was enveloped in the cloak but he could see a strength and pride to her that had not yet been extinguished by her profession or by a distant government's rule over them.

"It's starting," She breathed out as she rested her hands on her hips and turned back to the village, her back straight and her shoulders hitched proudly as the grey tendrils across the sky seemed to open more, letting out a muted light that was supposed to represent the sunrise. Kenshin watched as the blackness faded into a grey that seemed to cast Tereré in an odd glow that seemed unique to the Northern region. The buildings were suddenly easier to see, the smoke-stacks became more visible, and the smallest minute details of the village emerged from the shadows of the night and revealed their glory to them.

The tendrils of grey washed over the Eastern District, the older houses basking in the welcoming of a new day and another opportunity to live, the light also reached the tower that seemed to stand a bit taller now that it was exposed to the muted lights of the sun that desperately tried to peek through the cloud cover. The village seemed to rise from a slumber, much like himself, the entire man-made settlement blinking back the last traces of sleep as the light slowly moved over the village. Even the forest that was behind them seemed to yawn and bare its great fangs as it greeted the new day and began to hum with its network of magic and spiritual energy that Kenshin's ear tuned into immediately. It was though he was watching the rebirth of a society that had gone through their renaissance every morning as the darkness crept away to make-way for the cautious tendrils of light that fought to break through the clouds to reach the people awaiting below.

With Kaoru's back to him, he almost missed how she craned her neck around to look at him and she gave him a hesitant smile before she turned back to stare down over her home village as she inhaled deeply. "Kenshin, this is the true story of Tereré: I know there is something more to the village that Central has overlooked and its the human spirit of pioneering and reaching the last Frontier, going against all odds to challenge Mother Nature as well as the Earth itself. It's the human resilience that has made Tereré what it was and is… and should return to being. It's the village's people that give it greatness—not our resources or our industry." Her hair had loosened from its braid as her hand was crushed to her red cap, but her hair flowed loosely behind her as the winds rocked them back and forth and his violet eyes widened at the sight of her profile being bathed in the odd grey light that filtered between the clouds.

"You asked me about a wish—any wish," She continued as her voice was a whisper against the pounding winds at their backs. "I still don't know what it is exactly or the best way to describe it…but… I want history to continue as it had been and not how it currently is." She was speaking in halted tones but Kenshin heard every word that spilled from her lips in an earnest plea to return to the balance that they had once lived in a world that was touched by another. There was a raw bleeding to her voice that he compared to a wound that simply would not heal and every fibre in his body whined out to try and help close that gap that had been wedged between the conflicting parties despite him not having the faintest clue as to how to go about doing it as things stood in that moment.

Kenshin drew up beside her, awed by how close she edged to the border of the plateau that opened to a nearly five hundred meter drop below them, but he managed to catch her frame in his peripheral vision as he blinked at the image of Kaoru in a moment of true vulnerability. Her eyes seemed to be focused on something either rooted in the past she knew or the future she envisioned but she was not living in the present as her hair whipped around her in a crazed frenzy of blue-black ribboned strands. The humbling roar of the wind around them seemed to echo in his ears as the world suddenly became that much smaller and intimate with the woman next to him.

He himself felt a strange tugging on his heart as he took in her appearance and something inside his mind set off the whirring of gears as his something within the recesses of his brain flashed between his eyes. Kenshin could still see Kaoru's figure through the haze that slowly dissipated, but instead of the heavy weighed cloak that was meant protect from the frigid winds, she was dressed in a simple white frock and red shawl and her hair was billowing around her like a cascade of an untamed waterfall. She was not looking at him, her eyes glued to the horizon that spread before them, but they were perched high above the ground and the sun was definitely shining through the light cloud cover as it washed the lands in a golden dawn that was impossible to replicate on any canvas. Kaoru's hand was cradled in his and she finally looked over to him and gave him an even and confident smile.

 _"If you want to begin to move forward again,"_ Kaoru began to speak, her voice a tiny harmony competing against the roar of the winds that seemed to storm around them. _"I want you to tell me-tell me it's an absolute blessing that you're able to exist on this Earth again—that you're alive!—and I want you to teach me of the great Migration to the South. It is a journey that has no return after all.  
_

"Beyond the forest? Migration?"

 _"Mmmhmm,"_ Kaoru replied lightly as she turned back to stare out over the fields of marigolds and white lilies that seemed to spread out towards eternity. _"After all, your journey is not to be made alone. Or at least, say, wouldn't you like some company this time? They say that the South is a wild place these days."_ She blinked as her smile remained pasted to her face, her hair wrapping with his to form a unique union of tangles that he was unsure as if they were real or just something of a vision that he was experiencing. She seemed so tangible and real he felt his hand raise up and reach out to grasp her arm.

Blinking as the image before him vanished in a smoky screen of magic, he saw that Kaoru was still staring out over the village and she was dressed in her normal cloak and red cap. His hand was wrapped firmly around her upper arm through the cloak's material but she did not seem to notice. Her eyes were misty as they hinted at tears and he resisted the urge to reach out and wipe them away. Kenshin himself was unsure as to what he had seen in his mind's eye but he was certain that it was a vision from the future or perhaps the past and it was Kaoru that had infiltrated that vision with her bubbling presence and she seemed much more at ease around him. The Kaoru that stood at his side at the moment was still cloistered within in a deep fortress of mental defences that he was unsure that she would lower for him but he stared out and watched as the light illuminated the last remaining dark patches of the village before her voice brought him back to attention.

"Are you alright?" She asked tentatively. "You seem… shocked. Was this too much?" The shadows withdrew completely from her face as the grey light reached her and lit up her face to show that it was wrought with concern. Kenshin put a hand to his forehead as he shook his head, dispelling her preoccupation that she had perhaps over stimulated his senses with the Northern sunrise. Her eyes peered into his as she tried to read the expression on his face but he was oddly quiet and his face was drawn into a tight expression.

"This one is fine, it's just quite a fair bit of information to process," Kenshin lied lightly as he waved away her concerns.

"Are you _sure_?" She prodded as she gave him a skeptical look that hinted that she knew that there was something nagging at him internally. He was unsure if telling her the vision he had just experienced would be another burden on an already troubled individual but he doubted that she would appreciate him hiding the information from her. Kaoru's eyes were glistening with the remains of unshed tears from the emotional memory that she had re-lived for the first time in many years but he could pick up the bright intelligence that was flickering within those azure eyes that seemed to trap him.

"There was something this one saw," He whispered as he released her upper arm.

"You saw _something_?"

"This one saw Ms. Kaoru… but perhaps one from the future?" He made his own question as he pressed his hand to his forehead again, trying to blink out the haziness that had formed in his vision. "There were flowers—yellow and white ones—there was also sunlight. The two of us were standing and watching a sunrise, that we were, and Ms. Kaoru said something about a Migration to the South?"

"Migration to the South?" Kaoru echoed as a puzzled look crossed her face as she made a face at his words. "And you say this was a vision? Are you sure? Is it not a memory?" She leaned back from him as she removed the cap from her head and turned to face the village below them once again. "I've never heard of such thing—not to say it doesn't exist—but…why was I in your vision?"

"This one cannot answer that question," He replied sadly. "These are concepts unknown to this one as well, that they are." He winced as a surge of magic ripped through his brain and he gasped heavily at the impact, forcing Kaoru to rush forward and catch him as she carefully lowered them to the ground, allowing him to catch his breath once again. "However, that vision seemed so real—Ms. Kaoru, you were tangible." Kaoru shushed him as she supported his weight against her and reached up to rub his back gently.

"Just relax first and tell me later," She whispered into his ear as he allowed himself to lean into her arms as his vision blurred slightly from the impact of the vision that had invaded his mind. They were on the edge of the plateau, the Northern sunrise having performed its show to the two lonely spectators who had surfaced from the Earth below to try to peek beyond the clouds. The revealing of a history whose people had managed to survive against all odds yet the misery that had plagued their civilization still stood out like an ugly scar on the face of their humanity. The true telling of the story of Tereré and its people—those who broke away from the Central and Southern regions and journeyed to the North only to face adversity in the bitterly cold winds: Kaoru knew it was a story that few outside the region truly would understand but her urging gut hinted that she had taken the apt decision in sharing it with Kenshin.

"For now, just take it easy."

* * *

Tae peered over the edge of her desk as she studied Kaoru's frame before nodding at the girl and sliding her equipment over the counter, Kaoru's hands intercepting her bokken and rations pack for that day's shift. Ro was standing off to the side, her newly repaired axe strapped to her back and her pack slung over her shoulder.

"You've been assigned to Route F today," Tae informed the two who were waiting around aloofly as they finished the formality of their daily check-in paperwork for their equipment. "It seems that the medical brigade had put in word that it was recommended to take an 'easier' route for the next few days." Kaoru's eyebrow arched in response but she nodded again in acceptance of their assignment.

"Ro, you had better bring that axe back in good shape," Tae warned playfully as the blonde made a face at the older woman who was teasing her mercilessly about the state of her weapon from their last patrol. "It's not the easiest thing to repair, you know. The boys in the forge were not happy about it!"

"Yes, well," Ro began to muster a reply but cut herself off as she gave Tae a forced smile. "I'll do my best." The two females moved away from the desk towards the opening of the Long House and they nearly bumped into Aoshi who was entering through the narrow door. Kaoru put her hands up to avoid a direct collision with the much taller male captain and felt her blood ice over under his scrutinizing look as he stared at the two females he had trained himself.

"Mornin', Captain," Ro said dryly as she gave him a pointed look that hinted that she would rather brand herself with a poker before engaging in conversation with Aoshi for more than two minutes. "We're just on our way out, so…"

"Your injuries, Kaoru?" He ignored Ro's attempt to dissuade the conversation and turned his eyes to stare directly at Kaoru as he assessed her physical form that was exposed. She knew that he looked beyond the cloak and seemed to be analyzing her balance as well as her natural stance to see if she was favouring her weight a certain way. Leg injuries amongst patrollers were akin to hinting at quitting: strong leg muscles are what moved them through the thickest parts of the forest and the mountain.

"I'm feeling well enough to go out, Captain," Kaoru said carefully as she picked over her words under the iron glare of Aoshi who had a sixth sense when it came to his underlings' mishaps and misconstruing the truth. "A day off was just literally what the doctor ordered." Her captain's dark eyes were brooding as he gave her another once over before stepping aside, allowing the two female patrollers to walk by him, his eyes glued to their backs.

"Be careful out there and don't touch anything," Aoshi called and Kaoru willed herself not to react outwardly as Ro kept her own gaze trained ahead. The blonde had ditched her red cap and contented herself with her wide brimmed hat that seemed to hide her facial expressions more efficiently and Kaoru wondered why she herself had not invested in such a hat. Their leader's words stuck to them like an unpleasant odour and it was only after they had passed through the village and were long out of earshot that they had the gall to look at each other with concerned expressions.

" _How_ —"

"—Does he know?" Kaoru finished Ro's question and the two of them sighed as Ro ran a tired hand over her face.

"He's not stupid, he's probably got some suspicions," Ro muttered. "Do you think he saw the light on the mountain side?"

"That might be it," Kaoru answered in agreement as she reached up to tighten her ponytail more securely. "Aoshi has always been the best at sniffing out our lies and he knows how to read a person like a book. I'm surprised that just did not outright ask us about anything."

"It could be that it's not in his interest to do so," Ro said thoughtfully. "But that's just a guess, eh."

"Do you think that the incident with Kenshin has caught anyone's attention?" Kaoru turned to stare at Ro who was looking over at her with a balmy expression as her celestial blue eyes shifted to the side. "It's true that it's dangerous to have an unregistered foreigner in your house—not to mention the fact he's not exactly, well… human, but only you, I, and Sanosuke know about him."

"As does Tomoe," Kaoru reminded her. "But what would she have to gain if she told someone in the government that Kenshin is hiding out with Sanosuke and me?" Ro's face was blank at this point as she shrugged and pulled the brim of her hat down as she started up the trail that they had been assigned to that day.

"Tomoe is dangerous in her own way because she holds more cards than you and I combined," Ro explained softly. "I'm not saying that it was not her, but unless she truly needs the government involved in this whole thing, I doubt that she would have gone and said anything to Aoshi—so, I don't know." Kaoru accepted her hesitant reasoning but she was unable to shake the lingering sensation that there was much more going on that went unseen to her mortal eye. There was a tightening in her stomach at the thought that Kenshin might have been seen in the wee hours of the morning but she was fairly certain that they had been careful to have moved under the cover of darkness.

"Let's just get to work and then we can think it over," Ro said slowly as she tilted her hat and flashed Kaoru an uneasy smile. "It's your first day back, so we lucked out and got the ring route: no mountains, no forest." Kaoru knew that Ro was trying to deflect the situation as much as possible for the time being but she was itching to ask her Southern friend about what Kenshin had uttered about the Migration to the South. The routes that snaked down South were treacherous and riddled with dangers and she knew that most movement was done in the trains that departed from neighbouring villages but there were still some people who braved the journey on foot.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Eh?"

"You look like you want to ask me something," Ro said quietly. "It would be silly to ask if something was bothering you, but…" Kaoru's face was gentle as she gave Ro a reassuring smile, her bokken slapping against her back as she trotted down the trail with the blonde.

"There is something I would like to ask you, but not right now," Kaoru responded lightly. "I think we should let the dust settle before we kick up any more: besides, I know that you're stressed out but whatever that Tomoe had said to you. There's a lot of factors going into this entire scenario and it's probably best to just see how things unfold over before we make any decisions."

"You think so?"

Kaoru's smile widened slightly as she turned her gaze back to the path that they were assigned to patrol, thankful it was an easy and soft route that was not going to be testing them that day. The easing back into the routine after two close encounters back to back was enough to raise her spirits and she knew that this route was fairly scenic and comfortable. It also gave her a moment of reprieve to ponder her thoughts as she tried to re-order the pieces of the puzzle she had been given, her mind scrambling to connect links and race towards the big picture. If anything had told her on Mendiak and served as reminder, even the hardiest of civilizations took decades to fortify and yet she felt that she was racing against the clock.

"I do."

* * *

(A/N): Building up steam! One more chapter and we begin the second arc. This first batch of chapters has been a lot of fun to build up and I hope that everyone has enjoyed it as well. This chapter has been one of my favourite ones to write and the sunrise scene was greatly inspired by the song _Hanezeve Caradinha_ from the _Made in Abyss_ soundtrack. If you have not seen the series, it's highly recommended and the music is absolutely stellar.

As usual, I don't own the characters, just fleshing out the lore. For all you readers out there, don't be afraid to leave a review! :) Reading everyone's thoughts and theories truly make my day!


	10. Chapter 10

Book I

Foraois

Forest

Chapter X

Pivot

"May your journey overflow with beginnings and endings."

* * *

As Kaoru waved Ro off as they took different paths away from the Long House to return to their respective districts, she pocketed the sweet potatoes that another patroller had been doling out in the Long House and smiled at the thought of sinking her teeth into the rich and creamy orange vegetable. Ro's brimmed hat vanished from view and Kaoru herself pattered back towards the residential district, her cap tucked under her arm and her boots hitting the ground in anticipation of reaching home and changing into more agreeable clothing.

Rounding the last corner, she nearly skidded to a stop at the cloaked form of Kenshin standing outside the house, hugging the perimeter of their small fence, a caster seed lantern held in his hands. His red hair was tucked neatly underneath the cloak's hood and his face was mostly obscured by what looked to be one of Sanosuke's scarves. As she broke into a clumsy canter towards the red head, his head lifted and he greeted her with a warm smile that was accentuated by the warmth of the lantern light. Kaoru drew up to him and his smile did not falter despite the fact she looked preoccupied that he was outside.

"Sanosuke assured me that this one would be able to watch for Ms. Kaoru as long as it was close to the house," He offered by means of explanation and Kaoru felt her eyebrow tick in annoyance at the seasoned patroller. She fixed her expression though at the realization that Kenshin had taken it upon himself to wait for her patiently by the house, seeming content that she had returned home intact and healthy compared to the last few times she had returned home. She very rarely had anyone waiting for at the home considering that she and Sanosuke only overlapped for a few hours but she did not find the experience disagreeable as she nodded in acceptance of his reasoning.

"Thank you," She said simply and they turned to walk into the house together, Kenshin flanking her closely as he closed the door behind them and slowly began to extricate himself from the cloak. Kaoru herself was pulling hers off, her arms catching occasionally in the cumbersome sleeves, but she managed to free herself and carefully folded the garment over her arm.

"I'm sorry that I took a bit longer, but I was able to get some sweet potatoes from another patroller," Kaoru remarked as she fished the potatoes from her pockets, lining them up carefully on the table for Kenshin to inspect. "It's not very often that we get these— _so_ it's a real treat! We normally roast them or cook them over a fire." Her blue eyes were animated as she began to rattle off the process of roasting them and cutting into the delicate skin just the right way to ensure optimum flavour preservation and Kenshin nodded along in amusement, seemingly clinging to her words like they were a prayer despite the trivialness of sweet potatoes.

Kaoru poked at one particularly fat spud and nodded as she realized that she was even able to roast them in the oven without destroying them. She gathered them up and moved towards the kitchen, Kenshin trailing after her lightly over the wooden floors. He watched curiously as she washed her hands quickly, shaking the water away, and began to delicately slice into the sweet potatoes with surgeon-like precision despite the fact that her cooking skills would kill many lives as opposed to save them.

"What did you do today?" Kaoru inquired as she looked up at him, knife still moving fluidly as she went through the motions of cutting into the potatoes. "I know it's sort of boring sticking around the house without a lot to do…" He did not respond to her sympathy towards being trapped within the house but he tilted his head as he looked at her with a docile violet gaze that seemed to sooth her still-frayed nerves from the last few days.

"This one was quite taken with the books that Sanosuke has left out," Kenshin replied placidly. "Sanosuke gave this one the liberty to examine their contents, that he did. It has been quite an informative afternoon trying to understand the history of these lands, that it was."

" _Oh?_ " Kaoru rasped as she nearly sliced the side of her index finger with the knife.

"Yes, there was an almanac from Capozana that gave a lot of information about the trade routes as well as the agricultural and industrial practices of the region," Kenshin said thoughtfully as he leaned against the doorframe, his shoulder pillowing his head as he watched Kaoru's movements. "There was a lot of documentation about immigration as well: it seemed that this area historically welcomed more people from neighbouring states in better political conditions.

"There were also some books about general history of the country prior to the new government's mandate," He continued as Kaoru once again lined up the potatoes on a metal slat that she shoved into the oven and slammed the heavy door shut. "It seems as though each cultural group is defined by a variety of elements that differentiate as well as unite them under a common culture: language and certain systems of belief being two of the more prominent ones. However, the biggest difference that this one was able to understand was the attitude towards anything that originated from the other world."

Kaoru's eyes narrowed slightly at the fact he had been able to acquire so much information and process a complex history of a country that should have existed as five different ones. It was a topic that was fairly sensitive to citizens who had experienced both sides of history and were privy to the fact that the four cardinal civilizations all had varying views and arguments in regards of allowing themselves to be close to the mythical creatures that moved easily between the two worlds. The South had always been the most liberal of the four cardinal groups but the North had not trailed too far behind them in many ways.

"The East and West seem to be the be the ones at constant odds with each other as they had waged battle after battle over resources because they were much closer in distance than the North and South are," Kenshin droned on as his eyes seemed to glaze over as his brain was overrun by information pertaining to history. "The North and South would not involve themselves in the conflicts but they grew weary of the other regions of the country acting out and started respective paths towards pulling ahead in terms of advancement in industry as well as education and medicine. However, the most developed and powerful region has always been the Capital where they had destroyed a significant portion of the land surrounding the city in favour of development."

"That's right," Kaoru said slowly as she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. "Which book did you read that from?"

"It was a thick book that was bound with leather," He answered dully and Kaoru knew immediately that he had found one of the books forbidden by Central to be in the possession of common citizens. Kaoru had managed to hide it away from the soldiers when they had ripped through her family home and she had lovingly squirrelled it away in a secure place in the very house she was sharing with Sanosuke. They both had what was prohibited literature and they knew it was risky to have these books but it was a cherished part of their documented history that they desperately clung to and refused to hand over to the likes of the Central government and their idealism of destroying any traces of the past. After what Kaoru had explained to him when they had ascended to Mendiak, he could understand easily why she was protective of such texts.

"I see," She replied with a nod. "Yes, the country has always been a bit… tense between the four cardinal civilizations and our history is not the cleanest one that we would like to convince ourselves that it was." She reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face as her blue eyes took on a steely shimmer as she frowned deeply at the recollection of her father explaining the tensions in the East and West. She had found it always difficult to comprehend how people from the same nation could hold such rancour towards each other when collaboration and cooperation seemed much more feasible but when her father had explained that it was no one's place to determine whose thinking was erroneous or correct but rather to reach mutual compromise and empathy with the other. She had not thoroughly understood it then but rather only when the battles between Central, the vizinhos, and each other began to sprout up in her life.

"The tensions have died out for the most part since Central took over but there are still a lot of underlying issues that seemed to have been tabled for the moment," Kaoru said with a shrug as though she were fairly indifferent to it. "Being so far north, we don't really have too many issues with the other cardinal civilizations, but the closer to the Capital you get, the more you'll see. There's a lot of hostility, but it's to be expected, I suppose."

"Such a tragic path for history to follow, isn't it?" Kenshin mused aloud as he stepped out of the kitchen and slowly wandered towards the sofa, plopping down into the plush cushions as he stared into the fireplace. Kaoru watched him with a half lidded gaze as she tilted her head in mild agreement, she herself sad at seeing what the country had morphed into over the course of the last few years.

"It is," She agreed readily. "I don't like it— _most_ of us don't." Kenshin's gaze was still trained intently on the flickering flames that licked the warm stone hearth as Kaoru slowly sank next to him on the sofa. "Most people just want to live and ultimately die peacefully—most are content with letting nature take its course as opposed to raising a hand against her. Unfortunately, when defiance is punished, we all become cowards. Living in fear but being able to eat is much more attractive to many than it is to live freely but starve to death." Her eyes were oddly passive as she wove her fingers together as she herself felt the pressure of making that decision weigh heavily on her heart.

"Ms. Kaoru, what this one saw when we were in Mendiak… perhaps it is a clue to why this one has been awoken in this time and place," Kenshin began slowly as the flames glimmered within the dulled violet eyes that seemed to be bathed in soft shadows in the dimming light.

"You mean the Great Migration to the South?" She murmured softly to which he nodded firmly. "But without knowing what that is… or why you saw it… you realize that it would be a dangerous thing to do, correct? With zero knowledge of this world and how things are truly done; whatever you read in a book is one thing but the reality is much worse." Kaoru's hands came up to cup her face as she stared into the fire, every nerve in her body protesting even entertaining the thought of the conversation that she knew was about to unfold before them. Internal travel was already arduous and risky and letting a foreigner who was not even human attempt to make any sort of movement was beyond idiotic: it was suicidal. Even in that day's patrol she had been unable to ask Ro about whatever this Migration-thing was and she had not expected Kenshin to leap directly into it upon her arrival to her home.

"This one may not understand what it is but there is no doubt that it is of importance," Kenshin said softly. "Whatever has brought me to this place is not in Tereré." She was silent as she pondered his words and had to subtly agree: Tereré was a place that was an industrial wasteland only exploited for its resources as Central slowly tightened their grasp on the village and its people. Kenshin's awakening in the forest may have been a potential catalyst for him to realize the true cruelty of their world yet the most heated conflicts were sheltered in the Southern lands to which very few traveled. His purpose being unknown yet the inexplicable knowledge and things he could see with his third eye that went beyond her mortal understanding of her native land and its relationship with the parallel world: Kaoru could wager a healthy bet that within very little time he would probably have a significant grasp on the conflicts that paralyzed the country from top to bottom.

"Maybe because I speak from what I understand of this world and not from any other," Kaoru began slowly as her head listed slightly, her stare fixated placidly on the flames as her thoughts churned much like an angered sea. "But if you are destined to walk these lands, I cannot stop you—but I would ask you to at least wait until you have more information. Acting irrationally would not favour the situation at all."

"Does Ms. Kaoru speak as a patroller who gathers data to understand the world around her?" She narrowed her eyes at what was a seemingly harmless question but she understood it as a subtle challenge to her reasoning.

"In part," She replied tersely as she refused to look at the red head.

"And the other part?"

"Don't make me answer that," She warned quickly as her voice dropped an octave as she rose to her feet swiftly and turned to make her way to the kitchen. Kaoru's back was straight and tense as she bent down to examine the sweet potatoes that were coming along nicely in the oven, still refusing to meet his gaze. Kenshin was watching her out of the corner of his eye, a hint of bemusement that flickered playfully in his stare as he realized that Kaoru, who seemed enthralled by information and obtaining it, was not one to easily share it with others.

"Perhaps this is a selfish request on this one's part," He began to speak again as he watched her procure two plates from the cabinet. "But would Ms. Kaoru consider accompanying this one if the vision is to be proven credible?" She nearly dropped the plates grasped between her hands as she gawked at him with wide blue eyes that registered confusion and a spark of anger. He frowned at her expression, unsure as to if the inquiry had been offensive to the human female, and he watched as she eyed him warily as she returned to the sofa.

"Ms. Kaoru—"

"— _No_ ," She cut in briskly as she inched closer to the hearth, her body cast in shadows that were illuminated by the fire. Kenshin felt something in his throat catch as he considered her figure and his eyes widened slightly as he studied her closely for the first time: she was tiny, even smaller than him, and her posture hinted that she hummed with energy and trained discipline yet she seemed unsure about herself. Her hair was caught and swept up into a ponytail—practical yet simple—and her back was straight, hinting that she was fairly prideful or she would mask things from those around her. The gentle side profile showed youthfulness and aging at the same time: he was baffled by how someone her age could have obtained such a stricken look to her gaze.

"I'm sorry, but I'm needed here," Kaoru relented as she exhaled. "I cannot abandon Tereré—despite my qualms with how things are being done—this is my home, Kenshin, please understand that." She still denied him a glimpse at her full face as she turned away even further from him, seemingly shocked that he had contemplated requesting such a thing from her on the basis of a whim of a vision that may or may not hold any credibility. Kaoru wished to treat the entire situation with a healthy dose of skepticism in regards to what she could and could not categorize as sourced information and she knew that following a vision that had possessed him momentarily on Mediak would not make her budge from her place.

"This one would not depart immediately," Kenshin said softly. "There is great reason to Ms. Kaoru's logic: information is key to this one's survival as well as understanding of who this one is." Kaoru finally turned her head slightly to look at him out of the corner of her eye, a stricken look tinged with sadness and reservation creeping over her face as she eyed the nearly opiated figure of Kenshin who had bowed his head, hiding his expression from her. He knew that requesting her to consider accompanying him was farfetched and would sit poorly with the patroller who'd never ventured outside her village yet there was an internal nagging that whispered to him that she was vital and he could not afford to lose the opportunity and let her slip away from him as she withdrew from what he was destined to do—be what it may be.

"How long do you think you will stay?" She ventured to ask.

"This one cannot say at this moment," Kenshin replied honestly, the sincerity of his voice unsettling her greatly as she looked away from him and stared back into the fire that danced freely within the confines of the hearth. "When the time comes, there is no doubt it will make itself known."

"I see," She said mutely.

"Please disregard the previous request, Ms. Kaoru," He said silently. "It was not correct for this one to burden Ms. Kaoru with such an unfair petition. This one will not request it again." She was deathly still as the words entered one ear and seemed to snuggle against her existence, the mere rejection that he must have felt when she cut his request down violently in the interests of protecting herself: it had been horrendously cruel on her part to have done it in such a way yet she herself did not wish to even consider the penalties and consequences that would befall her if she were to even give second wind to such a heavy request.

"Don't worry, Kenshin," She murmured as she turned on her heel to look down on his curled frame as he still did not raise his head to met her gaze. "I apologize for having said it in such a way—I do not wish to discredit whatever has brought you to these lands." Her gaze softened immensely as she released she could harbour no malease against him despite her sharp rebuking at his request. There was a gentleness to such an exotic being as Kenshin and she knew that despite potentially housing a great unknown within his body, he was careful and prudent in his actions and words as though he seemed to avoid trying to destabilize the environment he was thrust into: Kaoru likened him to being a rock in a raging river—the current flowed around him yet he stood still and persisted, allowing himself to be battered by the rough waters that yearned to drag him down.

Kaoru sighed as she turned to linger her gaze on the fire, she herself unsure as to if she wanted to be like the rock or if she wished to be swept away in the currents and thrash against him and his steady existence.

* * *

"It seems that there is something being hidden from us by one of your patrollers, Aoshi," Kanryuu drawled as he moved the neatly rolled cigarette between his lips, his hands reaching for a match that was tucked perfectly away in a handcrafted box he'd brought from Central. He was seated at his expansive desk that was littered with documents from the village delegation as well as the capital, long political bulletins mixed with economic reports as well as other documents pertaining to the running of the industrial village.

"You know how we dislike it when something of value is hidden away from us, especially in such trying times such as these," He continued as he contemplated the matchstick before striking it to life, lighting his cigarette in a well practiced gesture as he laid the match on the table. Aoshi stood quietly at the front of the desk, his expression revealing nothing as he merely observed the Delegation leader's movements. Kanyruu inhaled deeply, the putrid taste of tobacco filling his lungs pleasantly as he leaned back in his plush velvety chair, eyeing Aoshi with a knowing look.

"You said that the Southern amongst your ranks gave an oral report to one of your superiors regarding an incident that took place in the forest area on Route Zed two days ago," Kanyruu remarked dryly as he narrowed his eyes at the unresponsive commander. "Yet we have documentation from the forgery that hints that what was related in the verbal report does not coincide with the damage done to the two weapons that had been repaired. The report that was given by the patroller hints that they had been able to slaughter the vizinho on their own yet the evidence from the damage reports hinted that the axe had been partially melted and disfigured.

"Additionally, the damage reports from the forgery team also reveal that the head of the axe carried no evidence of blood, fur, or skin samples—which leads me to believe that either they were destroyed by whatever disfigured the weapon's integral part or they had never made contact with the beast," Kanryuu continued as he took another deep inhale before billowing the smoke out from between yellowing teeth. "There were also reports from civilians that, that same evening they had witnessed a bizarre phenomena in the mountainside near the end of Route Zed: a mysterious light that seemed to flicker about that was not one made of the characteristics of human made ones from these lands." His mouth tightened into a thin line as he regarded Aoshi with the same manner he regarded a cockroach or rat.

"Tell me, Aoshi, have these two patrollers ever given you problems in previous assignments?"

"They have not," Aoshi replied curtly as he narrowed his glare on the government worker who was leaning further back in his chair, his knee bumping against the edge of the desk. "In fact, they are both diligent patrollers and are regarded for their skills amongst their ranks relative to their experience."

"If they're so highly regarded, what motive would they have to potentially lie about what really left their weapons in such a ragged state?" Kanyruu's eyebrow arched mockingly at the commander who did not so much as budge or react to the question's subtle indications. "Frankly speaking, Aoshi, it hardly seems to be a coincide that the following day there was a vizinho found in the green area clearing that had not been killed but rather temporarily disabled." He removed the cigarette from his mouth and let it dangle carelessly between his fingers, ashes spilling to the carpeted floor.

"Of that incident I am aware, _yes_ ," Aoshi relented.

"Why would there be a vizinho in an area that they never venture to?" Kanyruu questioned darkly as his gaze sharpened immensely at the mere thought of how he was leading the conversation. "And considering there was a vizinho in that particular perimeter, how would it have been rendered to such a state? Upon closer examination by other patrollers, there were no injuries or wounds yet it was unconscious. Don't you find these incidents to be quite curious?"

"Most would," Aoshi answered. "Although I fail to see such a defined connection between the incidents and the basis of accusation of anyone working underneath my detail." Kanryuu grinned impishly as he allowed his chair to rock forward as he leaned on the desk, his elbows propping him up as he took another drag on his cigarette before putting it out and tossing it into a filthy ash tray.

"There are no direct accusations being made, Aoshi," Kanyruu corrected. "I'm simply trying to connect the dots to this very interesting situation that seems to be brewing in this industrial dump of a village. There are many coincidences that form a picture we cannot be overlooking—especially if patrollers are involved." His grin widened as he shifted in his chair, his back sinking into the curve of the chair's frame. "It's all so, so curious.

"I have to brief Central in two weeks as to the economic activities and general conduct of Tereré," Kanryuu mentioned as an oddly feline glint took over his already deceptive eyes. "They will be very interested in knowing that these 'coincidences' have been accumulating in such a short amount of time—amongst other things, of course. We've received a very interesting figure in the village who's been slowly stirring the metaphorical pot."

"You're referring to the woman who has the visions," Aoshi said bluntly.

"That I am," Kanryuu said. "From what I've gathered, she has also had contact with your two patrollers on two separate occasions. Once again, it's all so, so curious that these two women seem to crop up in these little details, don't you think?"

"This is a small village after all," Aoshi remarked.

"Timing is everything, Aoshi," Kanyruu tutted as he gave the commander a pointed look. "Coincidences form a lovely part of life that bring joy or, in many cases, problems: and this is starting to become more and more problematic for these two patrollers. The eyes have noticed that the Southern has been visiting Ms. Kamiya's residence frequently over the last few days and stays late into the night—not something an intelligent woman like herself would do knowing that she's unarmed and night is the witching hour in Tereré." Kanyruu's eyes narrowed accusing at Aoshi as the silent commander continued his stone-cold acknowledgement of Kanyruu's words.

"The eyes see everything, Aoshi, and you yourself are accountable for your subordinates' actions even if you yourself are not directly impacted," He explained calmly as he folded his hands together, fingers lacing with each other neatly as he regarded Aoshi with a controlled expression. "While we have no physical evidence that is sufficient enough for us to call a formal proceeding and investigation, it would be best to remind your girls of their place and the consequences of trying to shield things from Central. Mere coincidences add up, after all, and the eyes have seen enough to begin the base of making a case against them as well as you. You know how these sorts of things tend to go… you'd be accused of conspiring against the state. A hefty penalty, execution would not be off the table for anyone."

"I assure you that there is no need to reach such extremities," Aoshi said cooly as he crossed his arms over his cloak that was embroidered with the symbol of the patrolling division. "It's hardly a fair case if they're basing it off coincidences."

"Fairness is a novel concept," Kanryuu said with his dismissive tone as he reached for a specific paper from the mess of documents that cluttered his desk. "Unfortunately, our legal system discards fairness and looks at what is presented in terms of evidence, Aoshi, and even if the evidence is shaky at best, the judgement will be made."

"I'm aware," Aoshi answered tepidly as he raised his hand to salute the government delegation leader. "Please excuse me." Kanyruu did not return the customary salute that was forced on all subordinates to the state but rather sneered nastily at the commander before waving him away. Kanyruu had abandoned his comfortable position in the Central capital for a higher pay check in the Northern lands but even he had to question if that was the proper decision to have been made all things considered. He found the lack of Northern hospitality to be abrasive as well as how they protected their own to be primitive and endearing in a backwards sort of fashion.

"Barbaric, really," He muttered to himself as he grasped his ink pen and began to draft his report to Central regarding the latest developments in Tereré, his long and flourishing handwriting highlighting the page beautifully as he began to weave the words together for the officials in the capital.

* * *

Kaoru's back rested lightly against the base of the worn bark of the tree as she stretched out her legs in front of her, the loose fabric of her pants pooling underneath her. She was still amazed that her wounds had been healed by the foreign magic that Kenshin had introduced into her body and she could have sworn that the warmth of his spell was still lingering in the very place where the wound had been made. She marvelled at such a thing, having never experienced the soothing touch of healing magic before, and she was fascinated that it seemed effortless on his part as he channeled whatever energy he was drawing one through her body like a lighting rod.

She had slipped out of the house, confident that Sanosuke had already returned from his shift and Kenshin was deeply asleep on the sofa, covered in blankets and basking in the warmth of the hearth. Kaoru had slowly crept down the stairs, knowing which ones were prone to creaking and which ones she knew she could rest her weight on, and she had thrown on her cloak as she silently pulled the door open and vanished into the night, her feet ghosting gently over the streets of the residential district as she slowly made her way towards a safe zone that she knew would allow her the privacy to think uninterrupted as well as clear her mind with fresh mountain air that tended to roll in through the night.

As she settled against the tree and tightened the cloak around her body, she inhaled deeply and scented the remaining traces of rain that loomed overhead: the grass beneath her was damp from the rainfall from earlier that day but she was unbothered by the soaking of her clothing. Her life had been lived in a constant rainstorm and she had grown to love the catharsis of the rain and its gentle presence that seemed to wash the sins away from her tainted body. She knew that the rain was essential to the harshness of her lands and she welcomed it kindly for it provided a cleansing that a mere shower was incapable of performing. It was a rugged attitude she had towards the environment that surrounded her and her village yet she truly appreciated the forest and its dangers, its mysteries, and its wonders having walked through it many times.

When she was younger, Kaoru's father had taken to strolling around the village at night when he was plagued by nightmares or was unable to rid himself of the fitful sleep that he had began to suffer when his wife had passed. Kaoru had caught her father in the doorway one night, her hands rubbing away the remains of sleep from azure eyes that peered at him curiously, and he had relented and allowed her to walk with him. As they trailed their way through the empty market, Kaoru's eyes adjusted to the darkness as she blinked steadily, the forms of the buildings seeming to dance in the darkness as the shadows as their forms extended and retracted against the dark sky. She had clutched her father's hand as they arrived towards the end perimeter of the village and the mountain awaited them in the distance, beckoning to them as the trees swayed back and forth in the breeze.

What a wonderful place it is where we live, Kaoru, Her father proclaimed in a soft voice as his wise eyes softened as he fixed his gaze upon the mighty mountain that seemed to enchant him. Kaoru knew that her father was thrilled by the mountain and his stories of the mythical beasts that he encountered sparked her curiosity in being able to begin her own journey between the trees. He would relate to her the tales of the forest, the great gifts he was given and brought home for her to examine—they're from the very ones that watch over us—and he would stir something within the recesses of her imagination that Kaoru was certain still drove her creativity to understand the forest and the vinzinhos that inhabited it to this very day.

The circumstances had changed when Central blew through on their campaigns and the marvellous gifts stopped coming and her father would return more and more haggard looking and sporting more injuries. He had ceased telling her the tales of the forest, despite her young insistence, and she eventually learned that whatever had happened within their country had changed the forest from a magical sanctuary of wonder to a hostile and dangerous territory that seemed hellbent on destroying the humans that dared to encroach upon it. Her father's enthusiasm ceased completely and his late night walks had also stopped in favour of him sitting in his study, desperately documenting things on scrolls that not even Kaoru knew where they were these days.

But would Ms. Kaoru consider accompanying this one if the vision is proven to be credible? Kenshin's words echoed in her mind and Kaoru found herself pondering if her father would have known what Kenshin was. She wished desperately that she had been much more proactive in her insisting that her father impart his knowledge of the forest and the other world on her as opposed to have sealing himself away and not indulging her in what would be useful knowledge. She knew her father detested the new government as much as the next person and she knew that he was heartbroken when he saw how the forest was being pillaged of resources and stripped away into cold nothingness. He would be rolling in his grave knowing that his one daughter had joined the very government that destroyed what was once his lively-hood and it broke her heart into millions of pieces to think what he would say to her if at all anything.

The other aspect that bothered her on a much deeper level was such an open invitation that was laden with such a pure form of trust and acknowledgement. The mere request to join him in whatever journey that was to be determined went way beyond her understanding of how he saw the world or how he perceived humans. Kenshin's mere inquiring of interest had invoked a wave of fear that had crashed into her and nearly drowned her. Her excuse of being needed in her village was a partial truth, she decided, because she was relied on by many people to protect the safety of what was basically the economic motor of the village: on the other hand, Kaoru realized, she had rejected his offer so bluntly because he had touched a nerve of fear and rejection of the outside world because she did not want to leave the safety of what she knew and was familiar with. The mere prospect of considering venturing into something that could be potentially worse frightened her to the most inner layers of her mind and soul.

Kaoru lived balanced on a precarious line that defined many extremities within her life and its narrative: she loved the forest because of her father but she was working beneath those who just saw it for exploitation and profit. Her hatred of death and mindless killing spurred her philosophy to not raise a sword for evil yet she was expected to slaughter what had once been an ally to many within the country and she complied in the selfish interest of ensuring that she was able to eat and sustain herself only to repeat the same vicious cycle she was spiralling deeper and deeper within with no sight of escape. She desired to follow her father's teachings and morales that had been enshrined within her in the hopes of fulfilling the family legacy yet she found herself contradicting them in the face of adversity as she struggled to equalize the cruel reality with the soft fantasy she wished to live. She hated death yet she submitted herself and signed away her life to a path that grew bloodier and bloodier the more she advanced.

She realized in that very moment that she had the potential to be a flesh-and-bone enigma to someone like Kenshin or to someone who did not know her. Her existence was hypocritical in many ways and she could understand how he would be perplexed by her. Kaoru's mind came to a halt as she truly felt a pang of sympathy in trying to understand humans: they were complex and inconsistent creatures whose existence was wrought with hardship and joy that bred many dimensions that could not be understood by mere face value.

"We're horrible," She murmured to herself with a wolfish grin as she rested her hands on her knees and turned her head up towards the grey sky. Kaoru knew that whatever was being planned in Central was driving the country down a dark path like an unstoppable train that was quickly running out of tracks. She heard the rumours from other Cardinal villages yet she never paid them much attention, knowing that there was little that could be done to undo the damage that was being caused from the Central plain and the capital. Perhaps it had been necessary for her to meet someone like Kenshin who had no horse in this political race and his reinterpretation of the world around them for her to truly grasp the concept that humans were the most destructive force that threatened to drag everyone down.

 _There's a certain innocence to the creatures in the forest_ , Her father's voice cropped up in her mind once again as she felt her memory slipping back to happier times when he would speak to her of the forest and its wonders hidden within the thick brush. _They do not carry themselves the same way that we do, Kaoru: they do not have the same arrogance that we do._

 _Arrogance?_ An eight year old Kaoru echoed as she craned her neck to look up at her father who was busy writing at his desk.

 _Yes,_ He said with a reassuring nod. _They lack the arrogance that we have in believing that we are the owners of this domain. The great beasts coexist happily within the forest and understand the way a life cycles. If one is to perish, he is left to become one with the Earth once more—whereas we burn our dead and return them to the skies as though we are worthy of ascending to the great beyond_. He gave his daughter a tentative smile as he reached down to pat her head affectionately. _Humans are wonderful in their own way and we are the innovators that drive the future, but we seem to have forgotten that we, too, shall have to return to the Earth one day. We idolize ourselves and try to rise to the level of the Gods._

 _I don't understand_ , Kaoru said with a pout to which her father laughed heartily.

 _I don't expect you to, my dear_ , He said gently. _Perhaps one day when you meet such creatures you will be able to understand. Our arrogance, my child, will be the death of us—if it is not our greed and need to push the boundaries that have always existed._ His smile faded from his face and his memory slowly drifted away into the darkness as Kaoru felt herself come back to the present moment as the darkened grey sky reminded her that the past was to remain concretely in the past and she had to remain anchored to the present to be able to survive.

" , this one believes it may not be safe for you to be out alone," A gentle voice startled her and she started momentarily as she shot to her feet and found herself face to face with Kenshin who was watching her with a guarded yet curious look. His eyes were alert as though he were scanning the perimeter with an unknown radar and he had sloppily thrown a cloak over his frame to fend off the cold.

"I'm alright," She said slowly as she lowered her fists to her sides before sinking back to the ground, once again resting her body against the tree as she crossed her legs beneath her cloak. "I just needed some space to think, that's all."

"At night in the forest?" Kaoru nearly smiled at the skepticism that bled into his voice but she kept her expression cool and controlled as Kenshin slowly walked over to her side before crouching on the ground next to her. He peered into her face with the same guardedness that she felt within her body at the moment before sighing softly. "This one heard you leave, that I did. Perhaps it was a good idea to have followed you here."

"Someone could see you," Kaoru pointed out.

"There are very few awake at this time," He retorted pleasantly. "Tereré sleeps heavily, that it does."

"Right, I suppose it does," She muttered as she resisted the urge to bury her face into her hands. Kaoru was someone who did not mind company but even she wished to have moments to herself to be able to reflect peacefully or roll around in her own self perpetuating misery if she so desired. Sanosuke never had pursued her—she was not sure if the older patroller even knew if she snuck out the house—and she appreciated the fact she could have a good hour or two to go over whatever was possessing her mind in that moment.

"This one would hate for anything to happen to Ms. Kaoru," He offered by means of apologizing for his intrusion.

"Well, you're here already," She said half heartedly as she finally met his eyes with her own and watched as his pupils contracted in the shifting of the light. His red hair was bright in the dark evening and she found herself oddly entranced with the crimson colour that she'd never seen on anyone else before. Despite his features giving him a slightly feminine presence about him, the colour made her mind skip to a strong colour that matched an even stronger individual. Kaoru blinked a few times as she shook her head and plastered a neutral expression on her face.

"Why this place?" He breathed and Kaoru felt the tiny hairs on her arm stand up at the whispering that spilled from his mouth as though a dam had broken and he had lost the control to censure himself.

"Why this place _indeed_ ," She mused as she rested her chin on her arms. "When I was little I used to take walks with my father. He would tell me stories about the forest and all the vizinhos. The legends and our interpretations of the reality of the other world." Kenshin nodded hesitantly as her words seemed to settle in a much deeper seat than they normally did as she was slowly opening to something that he was subtly aware was difficult to speak about given that it was ridiculously personal to the young woman. "I enjoy being close to the forest in a way—I feel closer to my father."

"Ah," Kenshin murmured in muted response.

"I think my father would have enjoyed speaking with you," Kaoru said absently as she ran her fingers through the damp grass that she had imprinted with her bottom. "You're very connected to the Earth—almost like the nexus that unites humanity with nature, I guess. I'm sure you two would have had interesting conversations." Her eyes were dulled in the dim light of the evening and Kenshin risked the moment to try and peek to read her expression. Her face was emotionless as she busied herself with brushing the tips of the grass, flattening them and letting them pop back up at their will.

"This one is sure that he was a wise and honourable man," Kenshin remarked quietly, himself unsure as if he was comfortable with Kaoru's very opiated state as she seemed absorbed in the world of her mind that seemed to be an endless maze of intrigue.

"He certainly was," Kaoru said in easy agreement as she still refused to meet his eyes with her own. Her stance was slack as she leaned back into the tree once again and her conscious began to sink into the recesses of her pool of memories: some crystal clear whereas others were beginning to fog over as the time dragged on and she seemed to lose the image of her father as the memories curled in at the edges like an old photograph.

"Shall we take a stroll before returning to Ms. Kaoru's home?" Kaoru's shoulders twitched at Kenshin's voice but she seemed interested in his request as she felt his form next to her rise gracefully to his feet, his cloak billowing around him comfortably as he brushed the dirt from the fabric. Turning to her and extending his left hand down to her, Kaoru felt her eyes glue to his outstretched hand before she allowed her own hand to reach up and grasp his, his momentum bringing her to her feet as she rocked on the balls of her feet comfortably. Kenshin maintained his delicate grasp on her hand as he reached up with his right hand and caught both their hands together, pressing them tenderly as he looked down at them with a forlorn look on his face.

"This one can feel Ms. Kaoru's sadness," He said simply as he refused to release his hold on her hands, his fingers squeezing hers in reassurance that stunned her with such docile sweetness that she felt something within her body cry out into oblivion at the innocence of such a gentle gesture as it swept over her. It was almost serpentine in its movements as a coil of golden warmth slinked its way through her body and wrapped itself securely around her heart, its sinewy form softly constricting her heart in a protective way as it hissed words of adoration and chants of protection into her ear—her mind fine-tuned to such a bizarre sensation as it curled against her, leaning against her as a support but also offering her its form to lean back on herself.

" _Magic_ ," She murmured, mesmerized by the sensation that was slowly rolling over her mortal body and existence and she realized that she would be perfectly content with submitting herself to the whims of the red headed man who was joined at the hand with her. Kenshin's thumb brushed over the delicate skin of her knuckles, massaging away the tension that seemed to congregate in her body and she felt his magic swirl through her belly once again, a golden pool of pure spiritual energy settling in crevices of her body that she had previously not known to have existed. She felt as though Kenshin was invading her body in a placid manner, his magic running deep rivers in the chasms of her mere mortal life.

She felt his body shift closer to hers as though to shield her from the outside world and Kaoru felt the last defences of her mental wall come crumbling down as she allowed him to step beyond the very edge she had set herself on. It was almost as though they were suspended in time as the delicate golden hue of his magic fused with her own essence, the world silencing as she could only pick up on the rustling of the breeze that had picked up around them as magic moved the invisible currents of the mortal plain.

"Do not be sad," His voice whispered as he continued to gentle infuse her body with his spiritual energy that healed as much as it could destroy. It was a soft ringing of a foreign bell in his head, a soft tingling in the winds that marked his rhythm as a subtle metronome and he knew that he would be marked as a fool for allowing this woman to escape from him. Kenshin's mind filled with a flurry of images and memories that Kaoru's soul seemed to release upon to him: fields of red poppies and bright blue skies as well as warm pastel colours that bled into his vision and brightened the darkened night skies. The ringing in his head grew much more insistent as he freed one of his hands and rested it gingerly on her lower back, Kaoru allowing him to close the distance between them momentarily, as he his subdued spiritual presence roared to life and seemed to coat the two of them in a sheer film of magic.

Kenshin himself was unsure as to what he was truly doing but his instincts were howling at him to comfort the sadness that he had felt emitting from Kaoru as her spirit dulled. There was a push from within that propelled him forward as he grappled with trying to comprehend what drove him to such bizarre intimacy with a human female that he barely knew yet felt bound to by unseen threads. His eyes were bright as she looked up and locked gazes with him, her eyes wide with awe as the tendrils of magic strung them together in a wonderful symphony of earthen unity.

"Why are you doing this?" She murmured as though intoxicated by the magical forces that were woven onto the very fragile surface of her humanity.

"Sadness does not suit Ms. Kaoru, that it does not," He replied dutifully as he felt his hand splay out on the terrain over her lower back, his fingers warm even through the thick material of her cloak. "Kindness to a stranger such as this one—it is much more fitting." His lips flicked into a soft yet taut smile as he felt the layers of dark emotions peel away as his magic slowly probed her soul, revealing much more to the complex woman standing before him than he would have ever gathered at mere face value.

"This one will not ask for explanations that Ms. Kaoru is unwilling to give," Kenshin continued in a nearly silent voice as the world fell silent around them, his magic retreating from her body and she felt herself reaching out, trying to grasp it between her fingers. As though delicate whispers brushed against the soft slope of her ear, Kaoru could have sworn that it was singing her a soft song of departure as it slunk away into the recesses of the great distance that she herself would never reach.

"However, if permitted, this one would listen if Ms. Kaoru were to tell them one day," He finished in the same halting tone as his eyes closed, inhaling the scent of the evening as he felt Kaoru's other hand reach up and cling to the fabric of his cloak. As though trying to steady herself, she grasped the material between shaking fingers as she took in a long breath in the hopes of being able to centre herself once more. Her eyes were still wide with the shock of having magic run through her body once more in the most bewildering yet welcomed ways she could have ever imagined.

"What are you?" She whispered through her teeth, her voice reduced to a whistle as Kenshin's smile did not budge from his wise face as he drew her closer to his figure, his hand resting more firmly upon her back as he released her hand and slowly began to guide her back towards the residential area.

"This one still cannot answer that question," Kenshin answered docilely as Kaoru fell into step with him, she herself permitting herself to lean into him a bit more. "However, this one is grateful to have been woken up—even if the circumstances are dire." She did not react outwardly to such sincere words but she felt herself smile inwardly as she recognized that Kenshin's faux-naivety was slowly melting away into trust to allow himself such vulnerability in a world where exposing your back to the unknown was assured death. There was a truly innocent air to the redhead that Kaoru found fascinatingly foreign as though she were glancing into the reflection of a mirror and staring at the wide-eyed child that she once was. Though her innocence had long perished within the forest and the unwilling slaughter she had become involved in, she still felt a flicker of hope come to life where his magic once streamed over her body.

"Perhaps one day…"

* * *

A/N: And so ends the first arc! Now we are going to be able to delve into the meat and bones. :) I would like to take this moment to thank all my reviewers who have faithfully stuck through with this story: your patience, kind words, theories, and comments help overcome that seemingly daunting writer's block! A special thank you to Teaplease1717 (tea always!), LadyDot, skenshingumi, and DavidB: your kind reviews motivate this story, too!

Don't own the characters, but I like to put them into new worlds. :D


	11. Chapter 11

**Book II**

 _Menydh_

Mountain

 _"If there's an answer waiting for us beyond here, the journey is our answer to it.  
_

 _I'll never forget the value you'd given me as it lets me forge the path ahead."_

* * *

 **Chapter XI**

Vestige

"May your journey overflow with comfort and pain."

* * *

As the months bled into each other, Kaoru and Sanosuke grew more accustomed to their third resident who was still living illegally within their home. They had managed to pull together enough supplies discreetly, in part to Sanosuke's close ties to the underground markets, to fashion a proper bedroom for Kenshin's use. They procured a second-hand bed and Ro had been able to spare the sheets and blankets—which Kenshin insisted washing along with the other linens and towels that he would hand wash and dry by the hearth. He protested being unable to provide financial support to the household of two patrollers but Kaoru insisted that he earned his keep in his cooking, cleaning, and ensuring that things ran smoothly.

They had warmed up to the idea of Kenshin taking over the cooking given that he had proven himself a mighty foe to the ornery oven that Kaoru often squabbled with. He performed miracles with scarce supplies and was able to concoct impressively palatable dishes for the two patrollers who often left the house full and returned hungry to find something waiting for them. The red head insisted that he hand the domestic end of things, he himself reading books and scrolls that Kaoru, Sanosuke, and Ro provided him while they were out on the various patrol routes. He found many useful bits of information regarding the gastronomic tastes of the Northern villages and would often request that Kaoru or Sanosuke fetch certain things from the flimsy market that he assumed would be available.

Kenshin had also taken to waiting diligently for Kaoru's return from her patrol routes in the mid-afternoon. Many times he would be waiting patiently by the gate for her to return, his red head covered with a cloak regardless of if it rained, snowed, or was darkening as winter approached them. Kaoru found herself looking forward to getting off duty, knowing that he would be waiting for her return, and she often found herself rushing through the weapon deposit in the Long House as she waved a ragged goodbye to Ro who would roll her eyes with a giggle. Ro teased her ruthlessly about the possibility of slowly falling in love with the red head but Kaoru refuted and resisted at every step.

She would come home from time to time, caked in blood, sweat, or bodily fluids from a vizinho and she could not meet Kenshin's empty and heartless stare as she would bound up the stairs quickly to try and wash it from her body and clothes. She had once caught his gaze as she shot up the staircase, his eyes guarding the smallest bit of disappointment that she had once again killed a beast from the other world and she felt her throat catch at such a dehumanizing look cast upon her. She remembered shrinking away from him the next few hours as he tried to approach her when he tried to offer her something to eat and it was only until the next day that she was able to look him in the eye once more. With a harsh sigh, she murmured an apology: she and Ro had been ambushed by a herd of weasel-like vizinhos whose razor sharp serrated teeth were capable of slicing and destroying human flesh without much effort. When she had explained that they had to defend themselves or risk their appendages, he gave her an apologetic smile but did not say anything more as he turned away to tend to the laundry.

There had been a specifically vicious encounter between a sky dweller and the two female patrollers that had left Kaoru and Ro mangled and fairly injured as the slipping of her shirt showed angry red slashes up and down her back. The talons of the beast had been utilized against them in a crude weapon as the two women were forced to improvise a way to take down the great vizinho before it was able to hit something vital on their bodies. It was a combination of Ro and Kaoru swinging Ro's axe together in a sweeping arch just as the beast swooped down to try and raze them. Kaoru had arrived home, after a debriefing with her Commander, and she had nearly collapsed in the doorway if it were not for Sanosuke intercepting her and Kenshin's patient healing magic that took the severe edge off the marred skin.

Occasionally Kenshin would request that they approach the forest, without ever entering its depths, and Kaoru would relent to his request as she accompanied him under the cover of the frigid darkness of Tereré. He would stand deathly still as he gazed out into the forest, eyes glazing over momentarily as though he was seeing past what existed before them and into the other world which teamed with life. Kaoru would often stand next to him and kept a sharp look out or she would plop down against a tree and wait for him to come to his senses on his own, never asking what he was peering into despite the intrigue she was swamped with as she ensured that her precious houseguest was not seen by the rest of the village.

It was in those moments that she could have imagined seeing the invisible threads that connected him to the other world and how he was reactive to the pulses of energy that the forest allowed him to feel. It was though a great power resided in the forest and chose only to partake in conversation with the redhead who seemed to be the only one capable of understand the forest's pleas for help. There were moments where Kenshin would come to and look perturbed by what he had been told or other times where he would not utter a word as they slowly returned home. She knew that the forest and all the information he was being provided were things that he opted not to discuss openly with them and when she asked once about what he heard, he had shook his head and said it was not something he was willing to disclose at the forest's insistence.

Kaoru had also learned that Kenshin's intelligence was vastly wide and superior for a non-human entity in comparison even to the sharpest of humans that roamed the Northern lands. He would devour scroll after scroll, book after book, document after document, in the attempts to expand his ever growing knowledge of the world around them. He had become quite apt at understanding the laws and rules with which Central governed and he had become well versed in the history of the country's four Cardinal Civilizations, learning that each one was unique despite being the same nation. He would often test Kaoru's knowledge, surprising her with minute details that she was unaware of or had written off, and he would challenge her to question certain decisions made in the country's history that she'd never given much thought to in her short life on Earth.

Kenshin had also taken to studying Kaoru's array of field notebooks that she had hidden away from the ever watching eye of Central—he himself fascinated by her flowing brushstrokes, her neat pencil etchings, and her fluid handwriting that described certain plants of creatures she came across and committed to the notebook. There were wonderful drawings of flora that she had taken the time to measure and document as well as lively drawings of the great beasts that roamed the forests, their profiles drawn in a variety of angles. He roved his eyes over her carefully organized notes as he learned the names given to certain classifications of vizinhos and how the humans had grouped them into various taxonomies based on the human directed standards of rudimentary biology. He was endlessly entertained by what he read written by human hands and by what was whispered to him by the voices in the forest: Kenshin himself often at odds with which description was more loyal to the beasts' nature.

Kaoru would entertain his questions about her field observation notes, pointing out features that she thought were intriguing on the beasts' bodies or commenting where and how she had found them. Most of the ones drawn in the notebooks she kept at home were rough approximations because she had to commit them to memory whilst out on the trails. She would return home and sketch them out quickly, her sharp memory reciting back facts, statistics, and numbers as she worked on the sketches diligently. She had amassed four or five notebooks of this style and was content that her own independent field work was of use to someone despite the questionability of the circumstances of his origins.

Sanosuke seemed much more receptive to Kenshin's presence within their house as he and the red head bonded in their own way that puzzled Kaoru endlessly. Late into the evenings or in the wee hours of the morning, they would speak in hushed whispers while Kaoru slumbered. They would slip out into the early morning under the cover of the twilight darkness from time to time so that Kenshin would be able to escape from the confines of the house, and they would sip some of Sanosuke's smuggled alcohol in the colder nights by the fire. The two men seemed to be tolerant of each other as their relationship slowly flourished within the confines of the tiny house and Kaoru seemed utterly relieved that the wind in Sanosuke's sails had changed direction.

Everything seemed to settle in the midst of the brewing storm that was due to whip up at any given moment yet Kaoru felt herself complacent and relaxed as she hummed to herself most days. She dreaded that he would soon set off on whatever journey he was destined to fulfill: his words had never left her head yet she knew that his departure would sneak up behind them and blindsight them all. However, much to her relief, there was a sense of routine that was not disjointed or seemingly forced but rather homely and comforting: she had been able to pick out a delicate sense of balance that had seemingly emerged from the murky waters that they were all carefully treading. There was a warmth to her home that went beyond the fireplace that never was extinguished: there was life breathed back into the framework of the house as delicious scents wafted from the kitchen, clean laundry greeted her in the doorway, and an intangible feeling of normalacy had been birthed in their dwelling.

The continued weeks blurred together like pastel watercolours until one day Sanosuke arrived at home, a piece of paper dangling between his hands as he taunted Kaoru with it, holding it just out of her reach and forcing her to her toes as she tried to snatch it from his hands. As she grit her teeth and mangled to wrangle the paper from him, much to the older man's amusement, her eyes lit up at the recognition of the calligraphic handwriting of Megumi and she began to chat up Sanosuke animatedly as she tossed the paper to the table and began to tidy up the house as though Megumi were to arrive at any given minute. Sanosuke had thrown his hands up in surrender, not willing to put himself within striking distance of a playful shove from the female patroller.

"This means that the Solstice is upon us," Sanosuke said to Kenshin, who seemed a bit perplexed at the sudden peak in Kaoru's energy as she began to rattle of lists of things to do to prepare for Megumi's return to the village. "Every Solstice Megumi comes back to the village to visit." He crossed his arms and gave an annoyed sigh at the mere thought of having to deal with the vixen of a lady that he had, had a bizarre relationship with over the years. He and Megumi were polar opposities: she was refined, preened, and gracious and he was the textbook rooster-haired ruffian that preferred brawls over words to solve issues. Still, there had been heavy attraction between them at various points and Sanosuke had to admit that even he looked forward to seeing the doctor who had fled to the capital.

"A friend of Ms. Kaoru," Kenshin remarked lightly.

"They're like oil and water from time to time," Sanosuke said offhandedly as he remembered hearing both women bicker about the other one but knew they were close friends. Megumi had voiced her concerns to Sanosuke, pleading that he keep an eye on her as she flourished in the patrolling ranks and Kaoru had requested that Sanosuke try to soften the icy exterior that Megumi often threw up in self defence because she had a tendency to treat everything with healthy doubt until proven otherwise. Her abrasive personality had often been the source of many of Kaoru's stormy moods and despite her physical presence being absent, the letters she would send would still reprimand Kaoru in a passive aggressive manner that left Kaoru brooding.

"You'll be here for the Solstice in that case," Kaoru chirped as she took a momentary pause to look at Kenshin with a sly look. "There are two big festivals in Tereré: the Winter Solstice and the Summer Solstice. Winter tends to be much more popular of the two, but the summer one is lovely, too!" Her voice cracked in excitement, to which Sanosuke chuckled, and Kenshin felt his heart skip a momentary beat at her enthusiasm toward the two festivals.

"The two festivals celebrate the cycles of human life," Sanosuke explained with an unimpressed look on his face as he crossed his arms and gave Kaoru a scalding look. "They mark the longest and the shortest days in a calendar year. It's one of the few customs that the government has left untouched, so it means a lot more to the people—but most use it as an excuse to drink and fuck around."

"Look who's talking," Kaoru taunted playfully as she rested her hands on her hips and gave Sanosuke a smitten look that was oddly smug. "If I remember last time, we nearly had to drag you home! That was hard with you clinging to Megumi and proclaiming your love for the 'foxy' lady." Sanosuke shot her a weary look at the bitter reminder of the last Solstice that they had celebrated and had ended with Kaoru and Ro detaching Sanosuke from Megumi's dress robes, Ro threatening to beat him upside the head with the blunt end of her axe, and the doctor-in-training looking slightly more horrified than normal as she tried to press the wrinkles out of her robes, miffed with the patrollers' behaviour as Ro shouted something vulgar at Sanosuke.

"It's a great time to be here," Kaoru said as she turned her gaze back to Kenshin. "We even decorate the houses with the winter plants… which, if memory serves, it's my turn to go collect." She crossed her arms as she tilted her head as she racked her memory to see if it had been Sanosuke that had been the one to trample around the forest in search of the elusive leaves that they decorated their doorways with in welcoming the Solstice.

"This one is sure it is an enjoyable festivity," Kenshin finally spoke as he gave Sanosuke a bewildered look as the taller male grunted at Kaoru's brutal reminder that alcohol was freely served and taken advantage of by the hardier individuals in the village. Sanosuke had explained to him once, over a quick nip of a particularly potent homemade liquor, that alcohol was a commodity amongst the Northerners given that it was exorbitantly expensive and hard to procure given that the vast majority of the production was concentrated in the East and distributed to the capital. Most Northerners took to creating their own with whatever they could ferment long enough to last through the winter and he had crudely joked that patrollers were often advised to carry a flask with them to dull the frostbite if they were caught out on a vicious mission. When Kenshin had gone to Kaoru and innocently inquired if she carried a flask, she had given him a puzzled look and asked what he was asking about and what ever had given him that far-flung idea.

"We might have to find you some clothes so that you can come out," Sanosuke remarked with an arched eyebrow. "I can ask around—some of the guys are your size." Kenshin nodded as he quickly glanced down at the garments that he had been borrowing from Sanosuke: Ro and Kaoru had offered to mend them and tailor them so that they fit him properly and he was extremely thankful that he did not have to worry about dragging the hems against the ground. Kaoru had been quick to sew them to an appropriate size and Ro had managed to snag a pair of comfortable shoes that he had taken to wearing outside in the sparse distances he could cover.

"Oh, we would have to take you to see the village at night when it's decorated," Kaoru said as her smile broadened. "You'll also get to meet Megumi: that's a treat in itself!" Kenshin blinked owlishly at her words but nodded in agreement, deciding it would not be wise to question the subtle meaning behind her words. He had seen the various peaks and dips of Kaoru's moods over the last few months and he could count on one hand the moments that she had were she seemed truly content and happy with what was happening around her.

* * *

"You wish to discuss something with me, Representative?" Tomoe said quietly as she sat primly on top of the high chair in the Delegation office, her hands folded neatly on her lap. Her gaze was passive as she eyed Kanryuu with a voided stare that even the hardened politician found uncomfortable. He was accustomed to staring down the steely eyed Northerners who glared at him with hatred and spite and was not swayed by their mistrust of him and his delegation members. Tomoe's empty stare that refused to reveal even the slightest of secrets was much more unsettling because he could obtain the necessary read on her.

"Yes, I did," He answered flatly. "We understand that you have been drawn to the North given that your talents have been quite the useful asset in the South." Tomoe did not confirm or deny his statement but rather stayed quiet and still upon the chair. Her figure was draped in delicate silks and fabrics, her neck wrapped in a wooly scarf, and her hair was neatly brushed and hung against her back as though incapable of moving or swaying. Kanryuu found the woman to be enchanting in a bizarre sort of way yet he knew that Tomoe walked a very tight rope between ethical and outright cruelty.

"My colleagues in the South told me that you have an amazing gift to see what will happen in the future," Kanryuu drawled out as he rested his chin on his hand and glowered at her passively. "You have been able to predict disasters and assassinations—quite the phenomena if you ask me." His eyes narrowed slightly as Tomoe continued her disinterested regarding of him, her eyes bored and seemingly unimpressed by his political range and connections. He had heard tales of this woman and her third eye that could peer into the future and knew the potency of the accuracy of her foresight. Having summoned her to his office had proved to be an easy feat yet he knew the true battle laid within extracting information from the pensive female.

"I wish to make some inquiries as to things happening within this village," Kanryuu said delicately, to which Tomoe's nostrils flared lightly. "You can peer into the undercurrents of the village's comings and goings—I require your input to ensure that the village is safe from any lingering threats."

"Someone in your position is not capable of protecting a village," Tomoe finally spoke firmly as she allowed herself to take the first tentative step into what she knew was an elaborate discourse based trap set by the politician. She had been hardened by the political games of the Southern delegations and knew how they operated in terms of trying to weasel precious information from between her cool hands. Her practiced skill of tactful evasion had proven useful over the years and she saw Kanryuu as an annoyance as opposed to a legitimate threat.

"That's a very strong opinion coming from a woman such as yourself," Kanryuu countered delightfully. "However, my question poses nothing to gain or to lose on your behalf. It's a simple request to know if there are any threats lingering on the horizon. You realize the important of this village and its industry to Central, after all, and your cooperation is greatly appreciated."

"My input will not sway the course of destiny that has been decided for this village," Tomoe said neutrally. "There is nothing to gain or lose if I am to indulge you in that information."

"You're hinting that there is a potential threat if your discourse is any indication," Kanyruu pointed out tepidly to which Tomoe's face remained unmoving. Her back was straight and she sat proudly on the stool, never faltering in grace in a weakened moment. She was bound by oath to keep silence to those who were not judged worthy of knowing what her visions revealed to her in the fitful bouts of sleep that possessed her. The voices had already uttered their conviction, deeming Kanyruu a hindrance that would be unable to alter fate, and she was obliged to obey what they dictated from their elevated positions.

"Even if I were suggesting it, I have no authority to indulge you in what you wish to know," Tomoe said stiffly. "I fear that you have wasted your time in summoning me to your offices, Representative."

"I would hardly call it a waste of time," Kanryuu said slyly. "You're an intriguing woman, Tomoe, even if this conversation leads nowhere, it is a pleasure to engage with you." His eyes were wily like the foxes that wandered in the East and Tomoe refused to react outwardly to such graceful prose from such a despicable individual that had done more harm than good to an innocent population.

"Unfortunately, I cannot claim that the feeling is mutual," She countered calmly. "In my dealings with your counterparts, I have learned that many of you have ulterior motives in wishing to speak with me."

"That's with everyone in this day in age, isn't it?" Kanyruu's eyebrows arched at the question he posed to the stone-like woman and he felt a surge of curiosity rush through him. Kanyruu had always enjoyed engaging in these words games, slowly wearing away the rocky exterior that most politicians and hardened veterans had formed. He had tended to liken himself to the great winds that slowly eroded the massive rock formations: persistence and time would always favour his style of working with those that refused and he had walked away victorious countless times from such encounters.

"It's understandable, my dear, I would never be able to fault anyone for being too cautious," He continued. "However, when there is someone else that is aware of the presence of the Vestige in this village, I must investigate all avenues to amass information and facts." He banged one hand heavily against the table and Tomoe stared at him numbly, knowing he sought a reaction by dropping a word that was a true test to her knowledge of what was currently encircling the village and posing a great threat to its existence.

"If you do not wish to reveal what you know about the Vestige, you are within your right," Kanryuu stated as he slowly rose from his chair and leaned over his desk. "However, rest assured, we will ensure that you are executed for withholding information from the government and its affiliated Delegations and we will hold you for treason if anything is to come to pass over this village." His eyes were steely and held an acidic wash to them that seemed bestial and horrid to someone even as seasoned as Tomoe.

"I have nothing to reveal about the Vestige other than what the legends speak of and the eventual awakening is due to occur," Tomoe said harshly as she slid down from the high chair and turned her back to Kanryuu. "When he will awaken is something that I am unable to deduce given that I do not have a spiritual compass designed to locate him." She halted when she felt Kanryuu's body round his desk as he tried to approach her and she pivoted around sharply on her heel, her dark eyes meeting his.

"You may hold me for treason but that will be a drop of water in the sea of problems that you will bring about if you become involved and try to alter the path that has already been laid out," Tomoe warned in an even voice. "Interference is a death sentence from which there is no pardon." With that last utterance, she turned back to the door and opened it, stepping out of the offices of the Representative, abandoning him at his post as he glowered after her retreating form.

Kanryuu had heard from other politicians that had dealt with the woman that she was difficult to tame and coax information from and knew that her compliance was slim picking. There were many rumours that had floated around about the woman's ability to see things from the other side: she could calm the raging storm of creatures if she wished or she allowed herself to be strung along by the will of the parallel world. He knew that her death would be a massive loss for the government that relied on the rare individual of her calibre that could move between the two worlds as a translator of tragedy and fate.

"The eventual awakening of the Vestige," He grumbled as he reached for his cigarette and a matchbox, lighting the cancerous stick as he pressed it between his lips. Leaning against the edge of his table, Kanryuu felt that his heart rate had surged in their exchange and it was still racing heavily. He felt his hand lift of its own accord, resting against his chest and he felt the thudding of the organ as it strained against his chest.

It was the only audible presence in his offices and he felt the world still once again as he collected himself and put out his cigarette, having lost the craving for it.

* * *

The history of man kind had always been marked and defined by tragedy and victory, both giving shape to the projection of humanity and its advancement in the world. The Earth had housed many species, many creatures, and many origins that seemed to be erased in the waves of time that lapped against them. Only the strongest were destined to survive the tides of change and war, leaving other fragile and delicate species to die or come to near extinction. Millions of life forms perished and were returned to the rumbling Earth, their eyes closing as they let their last breath escape them as they became one with nature and their souls returned to somewhere invisible to the mortal eye.

The latest and most innovative group of humans had discovered that a nomadic lifestyle was not beneficial to these lands and their conditions and had become settlers. Their creativity and their will to live guided them to become experts in learning how to craft rudimentary than advanced tools that they used to carve out their niche in the world. They learned how to speak and communicate on a mutual level, spoken words transforming into representations first on stone than on paper. Their words became much more complex and entangled with vague meanings and expanded as they created and discovered more about their surroundings.

Humans began to find necessity in growing outwards and expanding their reach to the far flung lands that had previously been undiscovered and virgin to their invasions. The creatures that inhabited those lands were wary and kept their distance, contemplating if they would be required to wage conflict against the two legged threat that slowly began to edge too close to the proverbial fire. They watched and observed as humans began to discover new resources, new metals, and create even more devastating tools and objects that were made of the very things stolen from the land. The creatures bristled at such an insulting gesture, the lack of respect for the very Earth that nurtured them and gave them life.

It was only a few centuries after the initial contacts and battles fought over land rights that a few brave humans began a crusade to try to understand and empathize with the very spiritual creatures that they had been threatening with their actions. Humans and creatures came together, many hesitant to reach across the boundaries that they had unwillingly established, but after decades of negotiation and interactions, the two world slowly began to eclipse each other as they slowly began to bond and find more commonalities than differences. Humans began to roam forests, mountains, and oceans alongside the curious creatures who were equally if not more intrigued by the presence of such destructive yet creative individuals.

As the end of the century came to a close, there were many cases of humans and mythical creatures joining in union, creating a division amongst the human population. There were many who tolerated and appreciated the creatures and were grateful that negotiation efforts allowed for a stable balance between the two worlds, yet they disapproved of humans involving themselves intimately with the creatures of many forms—some more human than others. The creatures drew even closer to the hesitant groups, their human lovers and companions being blessed with the title of Sympathizers, and slowly became much more prominent in human affairs. The Sympathizers worked tirelessly throughout the ages to ensure that the hard-won trust and confidence was not destroyed by those who wished to maintain a healthy distance or even begin to reconsider territorial boundaries in the interest of protecting human life.

The juxtaposed group to the Sympathizers were the Purists who wished to keep the separation clean and concise, reducing mixing to the absolute minimum. There was great concern that humans who were wooed by the beauty of the other world and the enchantment of the creatures would betray their origins. The Purists' most radical members uprooted themselves from the forested mountains and coastal areas and moved towards the Central Plain where they would not be as exposed to the creatures of the other side. They soon began to build great structures within their newly taken lands, a capital birthed by those who feared the gentle ebb and flow of the two worlds as the eclipsing was on the verge of completion, the two worlds lining up for the first time in known history. The Capital had become a hostile place where its citizens were strictly disciplined and raised on mistrust and hatred towards those who wished to close the boundaries between the two groups.

Whilst the conflicts were fairly contained and there was only occasional violence, there were growing and pressing issues from the Cardinal civilizations that remained close to the creatures and their lands. Sympathizers and Neutrals, those who wished to coexist with the creatures but also protect humanity's interests, were beginning to worry about the dwindling numbers of children being born given that the environment was not necessarily the most welcoming. The Northern civilization had expressed their angst and anguish at losing nearly twenty children in the course of one lunar year and they were being to grow worried that their numbers were not sustainable at this rate. There had been discussions of perhaps abandoning the North that began in Central, but the Northern populous refused and were quick to deny that as the definitive solution.

After another cycle of winter had swept through the entire country, even the lush and warm South suffering casualties from the cold snap, there had been a movement by the Sympathizers to perhaps consider consulting with the creatures for help. There had been observations that they had faired well in the vicious winds and snows of winter and perhaps their wisdom and knowledge would be of use to the humans. There had been an outcry in Capital at the thought of having to recur to such extremes but they allowed for discussions to take place with the representatives of both groups—humanoid like creatures and humans alike—taking the discourse to a private conference in the Southern plains.

The solution had been simple: introducing the creatures' essence, blood, and magic into humans in order to fortify them to survive the winter. It would be a costly process and it would require that the human mothers be willing to allow such acts to take place, but there were a few hesitant mothers-to-be that came forward, hands cradling pregnant stomachs warily, that volunteered. The creatures that also came forth as volunteers had been equally skeptical but willing to participate in the effort, even at the cost of being outcast by creatures whose values were to treat human intruders as trash. Twelve pregnant women were offered for the purpose of experimentation

The infusions of magic, the sharing of blood, the crossing of genetics, and the cohabitation of humans and creatures yielded various results: four of the babies were lost because their bodies were unable to handle the dangerous levels of spiritual and earthly magic that coursed through their mother's body, three were born with severe defects caused by the invasion of magic, and the rest were be born with strange behavioural issues that drew them closer and closer to the vast wilderness that the humans had agreed to leave untouched. The five children that survived the initial years of being exposed to high doses of magic would become shunned by their peers, branded as freaks of nature and abnormal. This caused a great stir amongst the Sympathizers who voiced concern over the education being propagated from the Central Capital and the lack of tolerance towards what had been a government backed attempt to meddle in something that should have never been touched by human hands.

Said five of children were withdrawn from society, cast away into the isolation of forests where they dwelled amongst the creatures, shedding themselves of their humanity and opting to exist between the two worlds in a never ending cycle of misplaced identity. The creatures themselves had select individuals who were resistant to the existence of such children and there were many that were left abandoned by the very creatures that had fused their magic to their very human souls. The children were doomed to wander the forests, the plains, and the coasts, never truly belonging to any one place or sharing a concrete identity. Many perished out of a lack of support and magic that threatened to overtake them, imploding them from the insides as the magic slowly putrified their organs and shut down their fragile bodies. Four corpses would be found later by wandering bands of humans, their tiny bodies charred, mangled, and destroyed by the toxicity of unnatural magic. Their ocular sockets showed signs of having received great bouts of pressure, their muscles were distangled messes, and their skin mottled with horrid markings of their bodies rejecting what had been forced into them.

Of the twelve children that had been infused with the creatures' curious and potent magic, there was still the missing one that had been rumoured to survive given that his body had never been found and the creatures and humans alike denied his existence. Sympathizers became obsessed with trying to locate the last child—the last true beacon of unity that had made the eclipse line up in perfect formation—but as the worlds threatened to drift apart as conflict started to rear its head much more frequently, they were unable to locate said child. He was rumoured to have been born of a poor farmer from the Eastern Coastal area and she had been devastated when he had one day escaped from their shack without leaving a trace of evidence behind.

This last child was rumoured to have been the strongest and the one that had been able to resist the effects of the spiritual energies his body had been nurtured with during the pregnancy. Futhermore, it was said that he had been able to even learn to harness minute traces of the magic as though it were his own and wield it at will—his own mind, body, and soul churning with a strong spiritual energy that attracted too much attention to his mother. The word spread through the villages like wild fire, but as many unconfirmed legends and myths tend to do, the story died out within three generations and his existence fell into forgotten oblivion.

Before the erasing of his existence from memory was complete, save for a few that clung pathetically to the legend, he had been given a singular name given that his true name had been forgotten when his mother and those in the village passed away: Vestige.

The Vestige was folded up and tucked neatly away in the forgotten memories of the lands as a new era of chaos and war replaced the peaceful times, a reminder that the divisions would only grow larger and tensions would mount as the struggle for resources remained the common denominator of the constant conflict that rampaged through the lands.

* * *

A/N: The word 'vestige' means a trace or remnant of something that is disappearing or has already vanished.

Thank you to every one who has reviewed and to those who read, please don't be shy! :) All reviews are greatly appreciated even if it's just stopping by to say hello! Also, I am contemplating skipping next week's update to take advantage to pre-write a few chapters before I go back to my home country for two weeks of holiday in April.

Don't own the characters, just the plot. :D


	12. Chapter 12

**Book II**

Menydh

Mountain

Chapter XII

Disturbances

"May your journey overflow with fire and ice."

* * *

"Watch your left!" Ro called out as she ducked her head, her wide brim hat flapping about as she lowered her axe to the ground and arched it in a sweeping motion, aiming for the beast's legs as the vinzinho was currently gnashing its pointed fangs at Kaoru. Between the two patrollers they had managed to subdue the beast and corner it off the path where it had been harassing and even killed a mining corps recruit, leaving the path clear for the miners to make it to the deep coal mines that they had been chipping away at over the last few months. Kaoru had managed to daze the creature with a neatly placed crack of her bokken between the eyes, stunning the creature as it dumbly growled at her.

Ro used the momentum of her absurdly over-sized axee to carry through the motion as she then switched and fought against inertia and switched directions, taking another sweep at the beast's front legs, bringing it to its knees. Kaoru slid through the generous open that the blonde had created and brought her weapon down on the back of the vinzinho's neck, the raw sound of wood against flesh reminding them that the power she used to propel the weapon was a powerful force and caused more damage than expected. Kaoru surged forward as she pivoted neatly, cloak billowing, landing a hit on the beast's neck once again as she made sure that it would stay down as it tried to shake off the daze inflicted by her weapon.

"I'm going to go in one more time," Kaoru huffed as she took a few carefully calculated steps backwards, counting the distance mentally as she decided which angle she was going to use to strike the beast. Launching herself forward, boots thudding heavily against the earthy ground, she raised the bokken into the striking position and propelled herself swiftly within striking distance, delivering another blow that would render the vizinho unconscious while she and Ro allowed the rest of the mining brigade to pass through the area unbothered by the beast that had been causing problems for them.

The two women stood back and inspected their handy-work, Ro whistling between her teeth as she shouldered her axee and looked over at Kaoru with a broad grin. "And here they were saying we should be tending to the house fires," She commented and Kaoru gave her an equally satisfied grin. The last few months had been relatively successful for the two, despite Kaoru's reservations about killing, and they had sharpened their techniques and their cohesion as a duo: learning to complement each other even more when required to brandish their weapons. Kaoru had taken to practicing in the area around the Long House, her kata run through several times as she learned to go beyond what her teachings had been and treated the sword as though it were an extension of her body as opposed to a simple tool.

"Well, we haven't destroyed anything since then, so I think we're back in good graces," Kaoru remarked as she brushed the bead of sweat that had emerged on her hairline. "Tae seems pleased about that; It's less paperwork for her."

"Wouldn't blame her," Ro said bluntly but her gaze hardened as she stared down at the unconscious beast that was sprawled out before them. "Strange though, this classification is normally not indigenous to these parts, right?" Kaoru kneeled down and studied it thoughtfully, clutching her bokken in a defensive position if the beast were to stir from its temporary slumber. It was an ugly creature that had bulbous lumps covering the rough terrain of its earthen coloured skin, the lumps seeming to be sacs or external glands of some kind. It was also covered in wiry thin hairs that were a mere pittance to try and cover its skin but gave it a sort of pathetic look. It was about one hundred kilos in estimated weight and walked on four legs, Kaoru's mind taking mental notes that she would translate to paper later, and it had a bizarre plating on its upper spine that seemed to be an exoskeleton that was half-formed.

"I've never seen this around here, you're right, and it does not look like it is apt for living in the North," Kaoru murmured as she stepped back and looked over at Ro. "Do we kill it?"

"They're going to be mighty unhappy if this things starts to harass the miners again," Ro relented with a heavy sigh as she brushed a blonde strand of hair from her face and gave Kaoru a baffled look. "Although I can't shake the feeling that there's something very wrong with it having wandered this far North. I'm fairly sure that we don't have these in the South either."

"Let me make a sketch of it really quick then, at least so we can reference it later," Kaoru suggested as she shrugged her bag from her shoulders and plucked her notebook out from the confines of the travel bag. Flipping open to a clean page, she began to draw sloping lines that captured the round angles of the beast's body, her pencil flicking back and forth quickly as she sketched the plates and recounted to make sure she had the correct number relative to the beast. Ro stood aside, watching with a cautious eye for any movement from the beast or surrounding areas, letting Kaoru execute her craft in peace as her pencil moved furiously over the paper. They both knew that, that would be required to dispose of the beast given that it had already savoured human flesh, but they also knew it was important to document an unknown classification for further scrutiny if another was to prowl their lands.

"These sacs on its body are curious," Kaoru pointed out as she reached for her bokken and prodded at one lightly, watching how it made a sickening squishing sound under the pressure of her weapon but uprighted itself immediately. "I think these are similar to an Espina-class given that their spines grow outwards from their skin as well and have a sort of fleshy base around them. This could be a sub-species or at least related to them."

Ro nodded absent-mindedly as she tilted her wide brimmed hat up and glanced up at the evergreen pines that towered above them, blocking out the majority of the dreary grey daylight. The forest was truly a specular place to explore in her humble opinion and she found that every time they ventured through its more uncharted territories, there was always something different and unique even though they had patrolled the same path dozens of times. Kaoru, as far as Ro was aware, also had a healthy respect for the cruel yet beautiful environment they were immersed in on a professional level but she also knew that Kaoru's father also had his own history with the forest and she often mused if it was something that ran through Kaoru's blood.

"I'm almost done," Kaoru said quietly as she rounded the beast's unmoving form and studied its tail, sketching out the stub of a tail that was barbed with more lumpy sacs. She made a quick estimation of how long the beast was from the tip of its blackened snout to the tip of its tail. Jotting down a few notes in her own bizarre shorthand, she snapped the notebook closed before slipping it back into her bag as she grasped her bokken between her hands.

"So, the _'usual'_ way?"

"Yep," Kaoru replied as she craned her head to look at Ro who had changed her grip on her massive axe and turned it so that the sharpened end was facing the vizinho. Kaoru raised her bokken to the appropriate angle that she knew would deal a lethal blow if it made contact on the correct part of the body and she moved closer to Ro so that their shoulders were touching. Kaoru and Ro's arms rose to the same angle, their arms seemingly fastened together, as they both inhaled deeply to match each other's rhythm as they slowly released the spring in their muscles, bringing both weapons down with significant force.

The impact of the weapons' force against the creature's delicate cranium bounced off the trees in a horrendous metallic and wooden crack that shook both of them to the core. The force of Kaoru's bokken would be enough to cause severe cerebral damage and the mighty axe's sharpened tip would perforate the creature's brain, assuring a swift death. They had decided that this was the most humane way of acting and neither of them could shoulder the complete guilt of having killed a creature from the other side. Kaoru referred to it as pain-splitting, something that seemed to be a crude form of empathy with the creature as well as the fellow patroller she was partnered with.

Ro and Kaoru stepped back as they watched the creature's limbs stiffen and seize up, its brain an electrical mess of nerves and instinct as it growled pathetically before ceasing its movements. They watched in absolute silence as the vizinho's movements died out complete, confirming that they had successfully take it out and had completed what their delegated mission had dictated that they do. Ro looked at her axe's point and grunted at the sight of orangish blood staining the metal and Kaoru checked her weapon for any signs of their kill.

"That never feels good, does it?" Kaoru mused aloud as she tore her eyes away from the beast and focused on a distant tree, breathing deeply in and out as she tried to calm herself.

"I hope it never does," Ro said thoughtfully. "You alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm just trying to catch my breath, that's all," Kaoru said dismissively as she waved Ro away. "For some reason this one bothers me more than others—how did this vinizho get here? Especially if it's not one that originates from this area." She felt her lungs catch as a particularly frigid gust of air entered her system and it chilled her to the bone as she shivered slightly underneath her cloak. There was a nagging sensation in the back of her mind that perhaps having completed this mission was a massive mistake on their part. "It's _weird_ and I really don't like it."

"We can check back with Genzai at the village," Ro huffed as she leaned against her axe, her small body seeming a smidge more fragile as she gazed back at the beast with a sullen look on her rounded face. "But I agree, something doesn't _feel_ right—considering we've seen just about everything in this forest, for us to come across something this big for the first time? It's sitting pretty poorly on me right now."

"Me too-although I've just realized something," Kaoru puffed as she sucked in another greedy breath of air as she finally was able to calm her racing heart that seemed to beat furiously against her chest. "These sorts of interactions are becoming more and more common: last week we had two missions where we had to deal directly with vinzinhos that are interfering with the mining division—and this is the first one of this week. I've heard that another team had a similar problem, but with the surveying corps on the other side of the mountain." She rested her hands on her hips as she leaned on her left leg, favouring it slightly as she bit her lip and tried to connect points that were blatantly obvious but seemingly lacking in direction.

"That's true," Ro agreed as she inclined her head. "I don't think these things are a coincidence—and you know I _love_ a good conspiracy to take the edge off." She lifted her axe from the ground, shouldering it over her right shoulder and digging her boot into the earth. "Have you talked to Kenshin about it? Or has he mentioned if there's anything off?"

"No, I haven't asked him," Kaoru answered slowly. "He obviously disapproves of us having to kill off the vizinhos, so I never try to talk to him about it—the way he looks at me makes it so he doesn't really have to say anything about his opinion on it." Ro gave her a bewildered look as they ambled away from the slain beast, their boots sinking slightly into the moist earth as they headed down the marked path that they had been assigned.

"Maybe you should ask him," Ro suggested. "If there is something going on and it's not us just being paranoid, perhaps it's worth looking into with someone who's much more connected to the forest than us." Kaoru nodded slightly at the recommendation that was, in theory, sound logic to her. However, the disappointing looks and the vanishing warmth from him as she trudged through the door were hurtful in their own way. She knew that it disturbed him that she was pitted against creatures from the other side to protect a government's interests—a government that she loathed—yet she felt the pull and tug to protect her own people from not only Central but also the creatures that threatened them. There were too many innocent victims involved in this messy tangle of a situation yet she knew it was a feeble excuse to justify too many wrong-doings.

"I suppose I could ask him," She replied.

"Or Tomoe," Ro joked dryly as a dim look took over her face. "She'd _love_ to get her claws into you—probably would ask you about where your loyalties lie." Kaoru pulled a pained face at the reminder of the conversation that Tomoe and Ro had, had and knew that the older woman was another thorn in her side. Tomoe was the individual that seemed to know too much but would not even tease them with a peek of the cards she was holding between brittle pale hands. Kaoru found the woman to be a hindrance in many ways, crossing paths with her in the village on occasion and not acknowledging her presence.

"I'd rather rip off all my nails with a rusty hammer than speak to her again," Kaoru grunted as she slung her bokken over her back and fastened it into its secure place.

"Most people would say that about her," Ro remarked heartily as the sarcasm dripped from her voice. "Kenshin seems to be the best bet, eh?" Kaoru gave her a miserable look at the thought of addressing the bizarre appearance of a non-native vizinho and then having to reveal that she and Ro killed it by scrambling its brains. Her boots felt much heavier, her cloak dragging her down significantly, and her heart sank at the mere thought of him looking at her with those violet eyes that held disappointment at her actions as a self-imposed pacifist who hated violence.

As the two women breached the end of their assigned trail, they found that they had ended their route much earlier and smiled at each other in half-glee as they picked up their cantering gait towards the Long House. Kaoru laughed as Ro tried to snag the loose ends of her cloak and slow her pace, but Kaoru narrowly escaped her wiggling fingers as they made their way towards their base, their cacophony a strange reprieve from the normally industrial sounds of their district.

After turning in their oral report to Tae and handing over their weapons for safe keeping, Ro and Kaoru exited the Long House and stopped at their ritual oil drum. Kaoru would take the left path back towards her district and Ro would veer off to the right and head to the Eastern district. The two women bumped gloved hands together as they parted, agreeing to meet at their arranged time tomorrow for their following patrol.

Kaoru watched as Ro's figure vanished from her line of vision and she herself departed towards her own house, her trot covering significant distance as she realized that she was hungrier than she realized and she was looking forward to a comforting shower. Slowly loping her way through the narrow maze of streets, she approached her familiar house with gusto and pounded up the stairs. She knew that Kenshin would not be waiting for her, she had expected to arrive later, and she tapped on the door energetically, bouncing lightly from foot to foot as she exhaled into the cold winter day's air.

The door was slowly opened by Kenshin who looked at her with wide eyes that softened in recognition as he opened the door enough for her to slip into the warm confines of the house. She happily undid her boots and kicked them carelessly to the side, her cloak being unfastened and folded over her arms as she greeted Kenshin before tossing her cloak over the back of the saggy sofa. Her underclothes were comparably dry and clean and she sighed in contentment knowing she would not have to have them washed and could recycle them for another patrol.

"Ms. Kaoru is home quite early," Kenshin remarked warmly as he watched her prance around the living room, stretching out her muscles and gathering her clothing that she would deposit upstairs.

"We had an easy day, I guess you could say," She said as she turned to face him, her arms full with the bundle of her cloak, cap, and boots. "I wanted to ask you something, but do you mind if I shower before?" He nodded at her request and she gave him a meek smile, moving towards the staircase. Kenshin watched as she zipped up the stairs and closed the door to the bathroom, her bumbling about bouncing off the walls and probably disturbing Sanosuke's rest as the older patroller was not due to wake up for another few hours. Kenshin retreated back to the kitchen where he had been examining the remaining ingredients from that week's rations and trying to decide what he would create from pasta, potatoes, and a small hunk of cheese that was harder than anything he had ever seen.

* * *

Kaoru mewled at the hot steaming water that spouted from the rusty shower-head, but she worked up the courage to submerge herself under the scalding water as she reached for the bar of soap and began to lather up her skin. She noticed that the injuries that she had obtained from the Espina were invisible—not even a scar was left in their wake—and she calculated that Kenshin's magic had, had a significant helping hand in ensuring that the injury was truly removed from her body. She ran her hands over her arm where the scar should have formed and still found it truly odd that her skin was soft and free of any changes in relief.

As she scrubbed at her skin a bit harder, trying to remain a nasty stain of what she assumed was blood, she found herself humming in her throat as she timed the strokes of soap to the rhythm. She was truly excited for the solstice festival and found herself even looking forward to Megumi wrangling her into the traditional wear for the event. She knew that her friend would be returning from Central within the week and she was over the moon thrilled to be able to grill her on the latest details of what was happening in the capital as well as if she knew anything related to the Great Migration to the South. It had been about eight months since she had seen Megumi and she knew that, despite their fundamental differences and catty play fighting, she was a precious friend that held a special place of esteem in her life.

Reaching down to run the soap over her legs, she bristled at the realization that she would have to shave her legs for the festival and she was not particularly thrilled with having to run the blade over her skin. Delegating that task to another day closer to the festivities, she continued to hum in her throat as she replaced the bar of soap in its nook in the wall and exchanged it for the wash cloth that she dragged over her body to rid it of the soapy remains. She felt oddly content and mum at the moment, despite the oddity of the appearance of a strange vinzinho, and she realized that there was a feeling of security once again in her home as she knew that Kenshin watched over the place like a hawk though he denied doing so and waved off her claim with his gentle smile. The house had a presence to it as though something rekindled the familiar spirits and she chalked it up to Kenshin's presence warming every corner of the house that had seemed so cold and inhospitable when she had moved in a few years prior.

Shutting off the water and snagging her towel that was hanging neatly from its designated hook, she dried herself off quickly as she shifted from foot to foot in the attempt to shake the remain water from her. She ran the towel all over her body, pleased that it was still soft and serviceable, she hung it back up as she reached for the comfortable clothes that she had grabbed from her room: it was a loose pair of pants that Ro had gifted her as well as a comfortable long sleeved garment that settled at her thighs. Kaoru had no intentions of leaving the house that afternoon and gave little importance to the clothes she had shrugged into as she exited the bathroom and trundled down the stairs once again.

"This one has made some tea," Kenshin said to her as she flopped down onto the sofa, he himself carrying over a steaming cup of warm herbal tea that Sanosuke had procured from goodness-knows-where. Kaoru readily accepted it as she sipped at it greedily, the warm liquid burning the roof of her tongue momentarily as she adjusted to the temperature. Kenshin sank next to her on the sofa and watched her carefully to make sure that she was consuming the tea that he may or may not have infused with a bit of magic to give her an extra dose of energy. He had heard her coughing earlier that morning and figured that with the changing weather going from cold to freezing, it would be better for her to stay healthy even if he helped her along with a bit of harmless magic and herbs that the forest assured him would help ease her throat in the mornings.

"It feels a bit odd to be home so early," She remarked as she cradled the cup between her hands, inhaling the aromatic tea deeply.

"Then today's patrol was easy?" Kenshin inquired as he leaned back into the overstuffed cushions of the couch, his own feet planted firmly on the floor. He had taken to wearing the casual garments that Ro and Sanosuke had managed to obtain and found that they were comfortable enough compared to his cloak and pants. Kaoru had lent him her sewing kit as he tried to mend them, but it had ultimately taking her interfering and plucking the cape from his grasp as she settled down before the fire and stitched it up neatly, handing it back to him. It was safely kept away in the confines of his small bedroom, not needed for the time being.

"I wouldn't say it was easy," Kaoru said. "I did want to ask you something—but please do not be angry about what I have to say." Kenshin's eyebrow cocked at her curiously as he watched as she set the cup down on the low table in front of the sofa. It was a rare plea on the woman's behalf and he was all ears as he knew that her prefacing her question with such wording was going to concern him. She folded her hands on her lap as she bit her lip nervously, a habit she seemed to be unable to kick as he watched her squirm momentarily as she tried to formulate the words that he knew would not be pleasant ones to hear.

"Ro and I were out on patrol today and we stumbled across a vinzinho that we have never seen before," She began as she looked at him with a subdued look. "It was obviously not from the North because it did not have the traits of the ones found around here—it was not covered in fur to help it adapt to the climate and it was covered it these weird sort of bulbs on it." She moved her hands in a circular motion as though she were trying to replicate the creature's form in the air. "It also had a sort of exoskeleton—I've never seen one like this before."

"Ms. Kaoru was required to eliminate it regardless of it being an unidentified classification," Kenshin said neutrally as he gave her the look that she had been dreading. She felt an immediate sadness wash over her as she saw herself in those expressive violet orbs that seemed to catch and hold her attention, the guilt of her and Ro's orders to eliminate the beast weighing heavily on her heart. The clouded and haze stare that projected the words he did not wish to say, the silent plea to renounce her profession and cease the slaughter of the creatures: she felt conflicted and hurt by the accusations that lingered in his stare.

"We _were,"_ She confirmed subtly. "However, we both realized something: there have been a lot of incidents related to vizinhos attacking certain corps or groups. I was wondering… has there been something happening in the forest that is perhaps increasing the frequency of these encounters? We normally do not have _these_ many—it's actually not that common for us to have them attacking and killing the corps members. Normally we're just clearing paths or making sure that neither side is too close to the other." She rested her thumb against her lips, nibbling at a loose flap of skin that came from handling her bokken.

"I know that you don't like my profession and you are staunchly against the killings, but unless we have the information needed to be able to resolve these encounters, we will be forced to keep eradicating the creatures that threaten our villagers," Kaoru said softly as she laid out an unofficial ultimatum on the table. "The way you look at me when I come home says it all, Kenshin, even just now: I do _this_ to protect my village and the villagers. There's no fun or amusement in killing." Kenshin was silent as he pondered her words as he found that she was extremely vulnerable in this moment as she was silently inviting him to venture across the emotional threshold that she normally kept under lock and key.

"This one does have difficulties coming to terms with the profession of Ms. Kaoru given that Ms. Kaoru is not a killer by natural vocation or by nature," He replied slowly as he watched her teeth work viciously at the flap of skin on her thumb. "There is confusion because one thing is said and another is done: there is a heavy contradiction that may be out of our control—this one believes firmly that Ms. Kaoru would like to be able to retire her weapon. There is no right for this one to judge you—for that, this one apologizes. Perhaps the ignorance surrounding your own circumstances clouds the understanding of why Ms. Kaoru has chosen this path to walk.

"This one was brought back into a world that, despite the education and information received, is still very foreign and does not seem to have clear boundaries established," He continued in an even tone of voice that he hoped projected that he was not angered by her words. "The forest is a reliable ally to this one because it is incapable of lying: it does not suffer the same traits such as arrogance or deceit that humans seem to carry about them, that it does not. The forest is an entity that speaks harsh and wonderful truths to what occurs within it and this one is obligated to listen and consider each word—nature itself is incapable of fabricating stories." He drew in a halting breath as he watched Kaoru lower her gaze from his to stare down at her lap, suddenly fascinated by the fabric of her pants.

"Regarding Ms. Kaoru's inquiry, _yes_ , the forest has said that there are many new creatures that are taking up residency within its territory," He said mutely as he tried to divert the topic to the information that he knew Kaoru craved. "There are creatures that are not native to the North and they are seeking refuge from the violence that has been purging them from their own territory."

" _What_?" Kaoru whispered through her teeth as her head jerked up, her blue eyes wide open.

"The forest has spoken of new creatures that come confused and disoriented, trying to shelter themselves in the Northern forest," Kenshin recast as his own eyes fell into a trance-like state as he heard the forest's whispers swirling around the recesses of his own memory. The cries penetrated the night and interrupted his sleep periodically, he himself lying awake as he listened to the forest weep in pain and despair as many new creatures unfamiliar with the territory bumbled about and caused unintentional damage within the growth of the trees. There were many sleepless nights for the red head who would stare at his right hand and ponder the runes as his mind subconsciously categorized and assessed whatever the forest was pouring into his brain. He, too, found it oddly disturbing that there had been such an up-swing in activity given that the forest—while buzzing with spiritual activity—was much louder and much more vocal now.

"They're running away from something," Kaoru muttered as she let her hand drop to her lap, abandoning the flap of skin that she had been biting at nervously. "Something must be happening in one of the other cardinal villages for them to be fleeing here, I guess… but what?" Kenshin shook his head as even he did not understand everything that the forest was conveying to him, a tangle of words, screams, groans, and shouts that amounted to the forest being in extreme pain and writhing about in agony. He had not mentioned a word to Kaoru, certain that she would be unable to assist him, and he had suffered in silence as he braced himself through the evenings for when the screams were extremely piercing.

"This one does not know, but it must be significant enough to drive them from their territory," Kenshin said quietly as he shook his head, crimson locks bouncing about. "Please, Ms. Kaoru, take precautions on the patrols—this one is unsure to what is happening, but it is most likely a bad omen of what is to come." His eyes were cloudy as the words poured from his mouth and Kaoru was unsure if she should re-centre him or not, as her own plethora of questions surfaced and taunted her endlessly. She wanted to demand the answers from Kenshin, knowing that it was cruel to do such a thing to a man whose memory was non-existent, but something sat poorly in her gut.

"That I can do," She murmured to which he bobbed his head in absent-minded response.

* * *

Megumi sat stiffly on the hard bench on the platform, her bag neatly tucked at her side and her own smaller personal bag resting primly on her lap. She was stifling under the massive cloak she was donning but she knew that as the train ventured further and further into the North, she would be much more comfortable under the layered cloak given that the trains were not heated. Sticking out of the lip of her bag was the handwritten train ticket with the village of Nantia marked as the final destination. She had calculated that the train would take a good ten hours and then it was another two or three hours by horse if the animal was quick. She cursed the day that the train to Tereré had been cancelled and she dreaded her bi-annual trek to her home village.

Her bag was filled with medical supplies that she would turn over to Kaoru and Sanosuke, seemingly grateful that they would not have to depend too much on the nosy medics that were government-grade snitches, and it was also filled with select treats for her friends as well as her family. She had been living in Central for the last few years and found the urban city much more to her liking than she would care to admit, yet she knew that Tereré's rugged edge and closeness to nature was something irreplaceable despite her softening her Northern accent to not attract attention to herself and dressing like a resident of the capital.

She reached into her bag and fished out the response that had arrived to her mere days before, Kaoru's neat and flowery writing trailing across the cream coloured paper. She had read and re-read the response several times as well as Kaoru's requests for certain goods, and found it oddly written given that Kaoru was normally brief and to the point in her messages. Kaoru had requested a few new notebooks made of higher quality paper that were simply unavailable outside of Central and she had also requested a certain book that detailed a bit more of the mythology and history of the country. It was not a banned book, given that it had passed through Central's massive censorship bureau, but it was hard to get her hands on it given that it had been out of print for nearly a decade.

 _I hope she appreciates me slugging it around the capital to find this book_ , Megumi thought to herself as she pursed her painted lips together thoughtfully. Kaoru very rarely bothered her for books, despite Megumi offering to bring her something different to read, writing it off as she did not have enough time to lose herself in the pleasures of reading literature. She found that the Central-approved books were dry and lacking in many ways and had turned to other activities to entertain herself in her rare moments of free time. She knew that Kaoru was a talented artist and at least hoped that she invested her time into her technique as opposed to withering away and moping around the house.

Leaning back into the bench, she unfolded the letter once more and eyed the handwriting that was a beautiful combination of loops, lines, and dashes that made up the northern runes that they were accustomed to writing in. Kaoru's was extremely ornate, something she prided herself on and made Megumi envious of, and she stared down at the words, mouthing them to herself:

 _Megumi, I hope this letter finds you well._

 _We are very excited to see you again for the Solstice. Sanosuke has offered to come meet you in Nantia to escort you to Tereré. We assume that you will be on the train that arrives two days before Solstice, so please expect him at the station._

 _Many things have changed in the last few months and we are sure that you will be surprised as well._

 _Sanosuke is doing well, too, and he also sends his greetings and requests that you bring him a bottle of grain alcohol from Central._

The initial response to her letter than detailed the short list of requested goods that Kaoru had made and was signed neatly with Kaoru's flowing signature. Megumi fingered the paper delicately as she was still baffled as to what could have changed in the industrial village other than Central implementing or lifting certain restrictions. That, she had assumed, would have been newsworthy given the gripes that Kaoru and Sanosuke shared with the government's handling of the village.

Folding the letter and tucking it back into her bag, Megumi glanced at the clock that was hung above the platform and realized she still had another fifteen minutes prior to boarding the train. It was a rickety old train that was at least fifty years old and had severe technical problems from time to time. It was often delayed given that it could not reach its optimum speeds to cover the long stretches of distance between Central and the cardinal villages and it was a headache to acquire tickets for it. It was horribly inefficient, something that bothered the doctor-in-training immensely, and she despised using it despite knowing that what waited at the end of her route was her home.

She looked over at another group of passengers that seemed to have congregated on the platform and they were huddled closely together. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the realization that they were government military police, their black cloaks giving them away as their insignia stood out against the fabric covering their shoulders, and that they were surrounding an individual. Megumi craned her neck slightly more, peering between the circle of police as they conversed with whoever was in the middle of their protective ring. She could not see very well or make out who required such a heavy guarding, but she had a feeling that it was an important delegate member being shipped up North given that there were a minimum of six police surrounding his figure.

 _I hope they don't delay the train,_ She thought to herself as she debated trying to get a better look or not and decided to remain seated as to not attract more attention to herself. She figured that the government was being extra hesitant with the delegation members and Representatives given that the news that trickled into Central from the West was not good and dealt with the murder of a prominent government official. There had been whispers throughout Central's streets that he had been viciously slaughtered, organs spread across the floor in a bloody masterpiece, and many contributed it to a rogue vinzinho that had descended from the Western plateaus and had attacked in a blind fury of rage. It caused rumbles in the West as the patrol detail out there was rumoured to be the most savage as they went on a killing spree. The rumours were mere rumours in Megumi's eyes, yet she could not avoid the pit in her stomach that was turning in knots at the mere thought of more conflicts and perhaps other campaigns on the horizon.

"Their festivities are supposed to be quite spectacular," One of the police spoke as Megumi swirled her head quickly to look at the ground once more. "I'm sure you'll enjoy them, Head Representative." Megumi froze at the mention of the political ranking of the individual tucked away in the protective circle and she swallowed deeply at the mere title of the most power and influential man in the entire country.

"They're still fairly primitive compared to the other groups, but they do know how to celebrate," Another police officer piped up as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I'm sure your grace will find some enjoyment."

"The women, too! They're tough but I bet they're great fun," Another said gleefully to which Megumi sneered inwardly at the stereotype that Northern women threw themselves at those that came from Central. It had been a perpetuated generalization when a Northern woman had married into a fairly wealthy Central family and had been quick to produce children before they were all whisked away back to the capital. The Northern character was rugged, something she prided herself on as she found herself much more prepared to handle the unsavoury side of Central, yet she found it horribly offensive that they thought that, that hardiness translated to the erotic side of things.

"Gentleman, remember, we're on a government visit at the request of our Delegation in the North and Representative Kanryuu," Another one said in warning as he tilted his cap forward. "Lead Representative Yukishiro, all the preparations have been made for your stay in Tereré. The garrison will meet us as the train station and escort us to the village. Representative Kanryuu has arranged everything in terms of the Delegation meetings." Megumi's blood ran icy cold at the mention of Kanyruu, someone she had a grudge against for how he had gotten too close to her and wrapped his fingers in her hair, and she found him to be as attractive and charming as a rat.

This is the first time that the Lead Representative is going to the North like this, Megumi thought shrewdly as she tried to recall any other state visits that had been made. There had only been one, when Central had originally taken over, and it was within days of centralizing everything through the capital. Enishi Yukishiro had taken to a large platform that had been precariously rigged in the centre square and had addressed the citizens of Tereré, words of charismatic calibre reaching the skeptical ears of the villagers as he promised to restore Tereré's industrial glory and harped on the importance of the industrial contributions they were making to protecting their country as well as their people. He had a hardline approach and was a purist in terms of the vizinho's and the other side, he himself propagating the violent campaigns that had ruined the South and stained the other cardinal civilizations. Megumi found it incredulous that he had massive support in the capital but she had come to learn that those who were born within the safety of Central tended to have never had a difficult day in their life.

She drummed her fingers against the surface of the bench nervously, unsure as to if she was more nervous or displeased that Enishi Yukishiro was going to be gracing the Solstice festivals. Megumi knew that they were important markers in Northern culture as people reeled around and made merry, enjoying the freedom of one night to shake to the ground the chains that bound them to the state as they danced, sang, and drank in obnoxious quantities. She herself adamantly defended the festivities as something truly unique and she found herself questioning if the Lead Representative and the Representative were truly participating in the festivities or if there was something much more sinister lying beneath the guise of a state visit.

Megumi knew that Kaoru and Sanosuke would not be thrilled about the presence of the state leaders, knowing that they were mostly subjected to Enishi's whims about killing the mythical creatures that roamed their lands. Megumi was relatively untouchable given her family's prominence in Tereré gave her an advantage yet she often worried that Kaoru or Sanosuke would overstep a line: Kaoru with her inability to control her flares in her temper and Sanosuke with his elicit dealings in the underbelly of the village.

She rose to her feet as she saw the pillar of smoke announcing the arrival of the train, collecting her two bags as she shuffled further away from the group of police officers that ferried the Lead Representative closer to the front of the train, where the luxurious and better maintained wagons were. She watched them out of the side of her narrowed eye, the knot in her stomach tightening as she watched the police form two even lines as she finally caught a glimpse of Lead Representative Enishi Yukishiro as he stepped onto the wagon, his detail following behind him and shutting the door firmly.

* * *

(A/N:) All aboard! Megumi's return to the story! Also, having Enishi in a role of government is a fun plot device that is going to be exploited endlessly. I managed to sneak in this one chapter, but I will be slow on the updates, unfortunately, given that work is taking me to some neighbouring countries before I go back to my home country. :)

As usual, I don't own the characters, just this crazy plot we're taking and running with.


	13. Chapter 13

Book II

Menydh

Mountain

Chapter XIII

Preparations

"May your journey overflow with song and dance."

* * *

"Oh, _that's_ lovely," Ro whistled as she watched as Kaoru extracted the traditional skirt from the depths of her worn wardrobe, the folds of material rustling together in a colourful display of reds, oranges, and yellows. Ro and Kaoru had been left alone by Sanosuke who had began the journey to Nantia to fetch Megumi and Kenshin was busy downstairs, tasked with preparing lunch. The two women had clamoured up the stairs in a fit of giggles and hollering, to which Kenshin tuned out as he slowly worked his way through peeling some of the less bruised carrots and potatoes. Since their conversation two days prior, Kenshin had been slightly skittish around her as he only nodded and gave her the occasional half smile as she came and went from her patrols. Kaoru had felt a pang of guilt creeping up on her and she confessed to Ro when they had been on patrol that morning. The blonde had listened attentively to her friend's preoccuptions and she make sympathetic noises in her throat.

 _Oh, Kaoru…_ Her friend had crooned as Kaoru told her everything about the conversation while they were out on an easy patrol route, to how even Kenshin seemed much more reserved around her. When Kaoru had related his apology to Ro, the Southerner had scrunched her face up and reminded Kaoru that he had walked into their world and not the reverse. There was a certain level of begruding respect that Kaoru knew that Kenshin had towards her profession but she knew that he was still upset when she came home covered in blood or reeking of death. His explanation of the sincerity of the forest baffled Ro upon Kaoru's recounting of the conversation, just as it had confused Kaoru, and the blonde pulled a long face as she tried to pick through the words.

 _But, hey, at least he told you something that was useful_ , Ro had pointed out as she swung her axe out in front of her in an experimental arch, her body following through her movement with her usual controlled grace. We know that something is happening beyond our borders and is upping the tension here as a result.

 _We don't know anything definitively,_ Kaoru retorted as she gave Ro an irritated look as the blonde looked at her gleefully as she gave her axe another tight swing. _Even Kenshin does not understand what is going on—all he knows is that there is something driving them all to the North. So, we should be better prepared._ She sighed as she ran a tired hand through her dark hair, her cap tucked away in the deep folds of her cloak. Ro had bobbed her head in easy agreement, finding no fault in logic in those words, and she grilled Kaoru on how the conversation was much more emotionally impacting than the actual information provided by the red headed foreigner.

 _He really hates what we do_ , Kaoru said stiffly.

 _Well, to be fair, it's not like we are crazy about this job either,_ Ro said as she ran her hands up and down the staff of the axe as she gave Kaoru a knowing look. _He's not wrong at all: you and I would love to hang up these cloaks and call it a day. Unfortunately, we don't have such an option._ Kaoru saw the brutally honest logic with which Ro spoke, knowing that she was just as level-headed and knew that their job was their means to achieve certain self imposed punishments.

 _I know that, Ro, but still… I feel bad when he looks at me that way because he knows that I know that this is not the right thing to be doing,_ Kaoru whispered as she fiddled with the cloth wrapped at the base of her bokken. Kaoru had been internalizing and trying to justify anything that would not lead her to feel such strong emotions towards the mysterious man's silent disapproval of her profession but she found herself more and more in agreement with him. She had not been born with a killer's instinct nor would she claim to have honed one to perfection. She hated the screams, the growls, and the stench of death that seemed to cling to her body and soul in ways that she had been unaware of growing up.

 _Could be that he's worried about you and because he's so in tune with what is happening, he knows something or has picked up on something that we're not privy to right away_ , Ro suggested with a puzzled look. _I don't think he's doing this to hurt you—Kenshin seems too innocent and too sincere to do something like that with you. He seems like the type of person who would try to avoid salting open wounds._

 _That's possible,_ Kaoru agreed as she nodded at Ro's potential theory. She was not super experienced in handling men outside of Sanosuke but it was a much more fraternal relationship with the experienced patroller. She knew that Kenshin was a gentle soul that gave off the impression that he would be incapable of hurting anyone, but she knew that when he watched the forest from the window or they went on their occasional nightly stroll and he lost himself in the darkness, his eyes glazing over, there was something much more powerful and ancient to him than either of them was aware of in their current state of affairs.

 _I think he's a lovely person, honestly, and I really don't say that about too many folks,_ Ro said as she awkwardly patted Kaoru's shoulder. _You should give him the benefit of the doubt, this is probably his way of trying to protect you from things that are not too clear to us—at least yet._ Kaoru found temporary solace in those words as she carried them around for the remainder of the patrol, giving them a thousand whirls through her head as she considered that Ro's opinion was honest as was the honey blonde colour of her hair. They had not touched the subject again as they had finished their patrol, they themselves waving farewells as they walked down their separate paths from the Long House.

"Those colours look lovely against your hair," Ro remarked as she gave an admiring nod at the garment that Kaoru was grasping between her hands. "Besides, it has not snowed yet: it makes sense to wear what would be the autumn colours." Kaoru gave her a skeptical look as she ran her hands over the soft material of the skirt that had not seen the light of day for various years.

"You think so?" Kaoru inquired as she held it up for inspection. "I don't want to stand out—besides, I don't think it will fit. It's at least six years old, I think." Ro shrugged and gave her a toothy smile as the blonde pushed herself up from Kaoru's bed and snatched the garment from her friend's hands and held it to Kaoru's waist with a critical eye. Kaoru froze as Ro wrapped her arms around Kaoru's waist and looked at the skirt with a well practiced eye as she nodded vigorously.

"Oh, I think it will fit you just perfectly, you're a tiny thing," Ro sniffed as she handed it back to Kaoru and moved over to the door, shutting it with a deft push of her hand. She returned to perching on Kaoru's bed as they examined the traditional Northern clothes that Kaoru had been lying out in anticipation for the Solstice festival. She had a few skirts of various colours and cuts that laid out an interesting colour palette that the Southerner ' _ohhed'_ and _'awwed'_ over and she had a few form fitting shirts with the typical Tereré geometric pattens that ran down the front.

"Try it on, c'mon!" Ro urged as she dug through the pile of top pieces and selected a lovely cream coloured one with black geometric shapes that were not overtly gaudy compared to other garments that existed in the village. She tossed the shirt at Kaoru who gave a nervous laugh but began to shed her clothes at the insistence of the blonde. She yanked her head through the hole in the shirt, tugging it down and pleased that it still reached her belly as it should have. She ducked as Ro tossed a bright red sash at her head, nearly smacked in the head at the wadded up garment, and she nearly shrieked as Ro started to dig through the other clothes that they had unearthed from the depths of the more abandoned garments of her closet.

"Alright, alright, but you put one on, too!" Kaoru retorted as she watched Ro freeze at the mention of donning Northern clothing. The Southerner, while pleasantly integrated into the Northern society in most faucets of daily life, still had a weird habit and found the traditional garb to be strange to her own tastes. The Southern traditional garb was much more practical as even the woman sported loose fitting pants and pressed white button up shirts. Her preferred wide brimmed hat was traditional from the South, designed to block out the sun's rays from her eyes, and she wore it frequently. She had balked at the first time her husband had gifted her a skirt from the North and according to her re-telling, nearly faked sick to avoid going out in public dressed in such a way.

"Is it _mandatory_?" She inquired.

"Absolutely," Kaoru replied with a sharp nod as she stepped into the skirt, pulling it up swiftly as it settled at her hips nicely. It was a bit tighter than she remembered but she had also grown a bit more as her hips flared in her late teens. She reached for the sash that had landed at her feet and deftly wrapped it around her hips, tightening it comfortably so that she was still able to move. Tying it at her side, she let the loose trails cascade down her side like two crimson avian tails of an exotic bird of paradise.

"Well, well," Ro said as she crossed her arms and gave her an approving look. "Don't we look dashing!" Kaoru felt her cheeks stain red at her friend's teasing but she herself was curious to see how she held up in the older garments that had gone unused. She inched her way over to the reflecting glass that was propped up against the wall and stared at the woman who was peering back at her with bright blue celestial eyes that seemed in awe at her outward presentation. Barring her hair not being styled into the Northern braids and hanging in a low ponytail, she twisted and turned as she admired the way the material still flowed and hit her mid-shin. The skirt billowed elegantly as she gave a quick ninety degree spin, pivoting elegantly on her foot and she heard Ro's laughing chiming in the background.

"You look lovely, really," Ro assured her. "Belle of the ball, you're going to have a great time this year. I feel it in my bones!"

"Probably," Kaoru agreed with an uncostumary cheesy smile to her face as she felt the memories of her childhood of the Solstice and dancing with her father and other friends rise up in a gentle tide against her memories. She was an avid dancer at Solstice, permitting herself the freedom to move to the traditional music that truly made the Northern rhythms as their own unique breed of music. She had lived many happy Solstice festivals and other much bleaker ones, and many that were just an excuse to forget about what was happening around her and lose herself in the crowds of people that switched dance partners and moved to the beat of the animal skin drum that marked their rhythm.

Ro and Kaoru occupied themselves with selecting another flowing skirt for Ro's borrowed use, despite her light complaining and insistence that it was not necessary, as she hesitated before stripping herself of her tight pants and slipping into the skirt, sucking in her stomach as Kaoru helped her haul it up to her hips. Ro's skirt was a deep blue with white trimmings, contrasting with her mane of golden hair, and Kaoru tied another red sash around her friend's waist, fastening it with the typical ornate knot that would not come undone despite the numerous dances that they surely would be tapping their feet to throughout the night. Ro had remained in her plain white shirt that she was viciously tucking into the hem of the skirt, her tongue protruding from her mouth comically as Kaoru was trying not to burst out into laughter. "Too much bread, I guess!"

They stood together as they gawked at their reflections in the mirror, Kaoru's arm resting over Ro's shoulder as Ro's hand came to pause on Kaoru's hip in a friendly manner. They looked out of their normal element of simple clothing or patrolling cloaks and it was their yearly reminder that they did have beautifully built bodies beneath their everyday clothes. The garments were designed to be complementary to a woman's natural grace, hips swinging as the sash's tails fluttered, the skirts hugging in all the right places, the shirts comfortable yet flattering. Ro's hair mixed with Kaoru's ponytail as they giggled amongst themselves, poking and prodding at each other playfully as they sighed at their reflections.

"Southern clothes are much more practical," Ro sighed dramatically as she released Kaoru's hip and took a few hop-steps backwards as she swished her skirt experimentally. "I'm not sure how you're really supposed to dance in these, honestly. It all gets in the way."

"What have you been doing the last few years?"

"I wear my pants underneath and bunch the skirt up," Ro said with a waggle of her eyebrows to which Kaoru slapped her forehead dramatically at the Southerner's interpretation of Northern traditional garb. "And I get drunk enough that I don't remember anything and put them away for another year."

"You dance in your pants," Kaoru repeated dryly.

"It's _easier_ ," Ro protested heatedly. "I can control my legs and not worry about getting tangled." Kaoru rolled her eyes dramatically at her friend's stand-offish nature to the traditional clothing and her insistence that pants were superior for all-night festivities. She rested her hands on her hips and tilted her head at the blonde who was looking at her warily, unsure as to what Kaoru was planning to say or even do.

"Well, you're wearing them now, why don't we practice?" Kaoru gave her a gratuitous smile as she clasped her hands together in pseudo-maliciousness and rubbed them together as though she were the devil herself. It had been a while since she had been able to dance the winter dances, last year's festivities a blur in her memory, and she dearly missed being able to dance the steps that her mother and friends had taught her in her youth: they reminded her of the simpler and happier days.

"Practice? Practice _what?_ " Ro echoed as storm cloud of horror passed over her rounded face, her blue eyes widened in shock at the proposal.

"So that you look like you know what you're doing and when we dance, I don't have to worry about you tripping over yourself," Kaoru explained with a wide grin on her face, hinting at the teasing that she was jabbing her friend with as she took a few steps backwards. "The dances in the South are similar anyway! You just have to get used to dancing in a skirt, Ro! I'm the l _east_ feminine thing in this village and even I know how to dance more or less!" Ro's face fell at the realization that Kaoru's self depraving comment and wisecrack was accurate and she gave her another miserable look before nodding sullenly. The blonde also knew that Kaoru was an excellent dancer, despite her other faults, and she did move with a seemingly natural grace when there music to accompany her stepping.

"I think the easiest is the one about the cardinal bird, the eight-step one," Ro offered waywardly as she sulked heavily as she looked at the distance between her and Kaoru. They were facing each other and they raised their hands neatly, clapping out the first beats as Ro hummed out the base of the melody in her throat, Kaoru nodding her head as she tried to recall the lyrics to the dance that was the standard fare to the festivities around the country and had not died out with Central's brutal erasing of trying to consolidate culture. It had been a popular song that had been carried by the singing troubadours that had brought the song from the Eastern coast to the interior of the country. The children had often sang the song at periodic moments throughout the year, noting the changing of seasons especially, and it was a song ingrained into their brains since they were able to even speak and bumble about as clumsy children.

Kaoru hummed the rhythm as their claps marked the rhythm as they lowered their arms parallel to the ground, their feet stomping and alternating with their toes touching the ground. Kaoru moved to her left as Ro swung to the right, their skirts blossoming into bright groupings of colourful fabric, their bodies moving to the rhythm as their years of dancing at the festivities came back to them. They were seemingly dancing upon the hardened earth of the village, not the rough wood of Kaoru's home. Their minds could imagine the strings of lanterns, the other bodies of villagers falling into the same steps and twirls as they heard the distant echoes of laughter from the past.

They bumped into each other in a wayward and clusmy harmony, the familiar notes escaping through their lips in breathing intervals as Kaoru's back turned to Ro and Ro's back turned to Kaoru's as they danced the same original pattern in reverse. They turned on the eighth step, facing each other once again as their arms came up parallel to the ground once more. They stepped into their own circle, feet stomping obnoxiously against the floor, as their bodies drew closer hands raising as they waved towards the invisible sun that refused to peek through the clouds.

Their humming voices tangled together in a sweet and off-tune kelter as they eight stepped their way through the closer body interactions, before putting their backs to each other as they opened their distance up once more. Kaoru felt her ponytail swing against her back as she exhaled, counting out the steps once again, nearly side-stepping as Ro miscounted and almost treaded on her foot. They recovered their steps easily as they fell back into the simple eight step, once again twirling away from each other in a flurry of colourful fabric.

 _Dying happy, I want your forgiveness,_ Kaoru and Ro's distinct accents gave them a bizarre pronunciation that they laughed away as they drew close together, their arms parallel and nearly touching whilst they finally uttered the last words of the famed folksong. Ro was a bit shorter than Kaoru and Kaoru assumed the male's leading role as she angled her body to have Ro follow her lead. Ro complied and smiled brightly as she allowed Kaoru to lead her into the female's twirl, before her back was to her friend once again as they stomped out the last few beats of the popular dance before collapsing to the floor, laughing to themselves and marvelling at the fact they had not lost their touch for the typical folk dance that was enjoyed by all. Their laughs amplified in the small room as they began to cough horrendously, their limbs tangled and the slamming of the door open and coming face to face with a wide-eyed red haired man made them laugh even harder to the point Kaoru felt she was going to perish from the lack of oxygen in her lungs.

"Hello," She wheezed jovially as she gave him a sheepish smile, her cheeks a rosy colour and her shoulders rising and falling as she tried to catch up with her breath.

"This one heard a noise," Kenshin said mutely as he looked down at them with a very bewildered expression. Kaoru and Ro exchanged embarrassed looks as they looked down at their garments and back up at the memory-deprived Kenshin who seemed bewildered by their uncharacteristic behaviour. He had imagined that the giggles and laughs were part of some outlandish conversation yet when he heard the stomping and banging he grew concerned and flew up the stairs at the biggest thud, which he assumed someone had fallen against the hard flooring.

"We were _just_ dancing," Ro offered meekly as she gestured at the skirts with a mirthful look to her face. "Solstice is coming, you know, it's important to know the dances—but you don't have to wear a skirt, so _you're_ lucky." She gave Kaoru a scathing look as she pushed herself to her feet and extended her hand out to her friend who accepted it with a chuckle, allowing herself to be pulled upright. The two women stood next to each other, their skirts bumping against each other and their faces equally flushed from their tom-foolery.

" _Dancing,_ " Kenshin repeated dumbly. He seemed partially scandalized by the stomping and the noise that had carried throughout the house, the ceiling fixture swinging from the vibrations. His eyes were alert and his pupils had contracted to mere pin-pricks and there was a certain tension about him that seemed foreign to Kaoru who picked up on it immediately.

"It's an important part of the festivities," Kaoru explained as she brushed her skirts folds, ridding them of any dust that had clung to her and also trying to divert her attention from the bizarre aura that Kenshin was giving off. "Most of the night is dancing and you switch between various partners—most people don't know how to dance after a few hours, but it's a lot of fun to let our hair down and enjoy. It's the one thing that Central has not been able to ruin for us— _yet_." Her eyes hardened at the mere implication that there was a possibility of Central sinking their talons into the sacred festival but she shook her head.

"You're going to dance, too," Ro said and Kenshin knew it was not a friendly question but rather an indirect assumption that he had never had cross his mind in the days leading up the festivities. He had heard Kaoru and even Sanosuke humming to themselves, more than usual, and they were songs that he guessed were typical to the festivities surrounding the Solstice. He had watched as Kaoru, one evening, pull out a garment from the cupboards down stairs and muttered to herself about it being too tight before shoving it back into the stuffy drawers and shutting it away. He had seen Sanosuke lying out garments and eying them, deciding which white overcoat was the best one to be sacrificed for the sake of unrestricted drinking and the inevitable stains that would ruin the material.

"You are coming to the festival, _right_?" Kaoru inquired as she gave him a concerned look, despite knowing that taking him out into public was a risky move given that he stuck out too much. They would not have the protection of the darkness that sheltered Kenshin's existence from the village and they would be out in the open, putting them in a potentially precarious situation. Her words seemed to ease the tense air about him as he calmed, his pupils dilating back to normal. They had offered a remedy to the solution, a hooded overcoat that Kaoru had been able to alter from one that had already been embroidered with the typical geometric patterns of Tereré and he found that she was quite talented at altering garments. She had tugged the hood over his head affectionately, much to his surprise at the closeness of her gesture, saying that he blended in perfectly, but they had not brought up the issue again and she assumed that he was still slightly hesitant with regards to it. She had not wanted to bother him or pester him about confirming his attendance but not having said another word, she was unsure as it to if he would truly attend or not.

"Of course he is," Ro jutted in as she gave Kenshin a haughty look that dared him to deny her words. "He has to have some sort of fun—as well as dance the last dance with someone." She looked over at Kaoru and gave her another knowing look as she gave her friend a demure smile. "Not like how _we_ dance, Kaoru, but he might be better suited for the last one- _eh_?" Kaoru's cheeks flamed up at the implications of Ro's words and she gave Kenshin a bashful look as she licked her lips subtly, unsure as to his reaction to the blonde's insistence.

" _Ah?_ "

"Sanosuke and I told you that the Solstice marks the cycles of human life," Kaoru reminded him gently as she drew closer to Ro who was still swishing her skirt to-and-fro in an innocent moment of child-like glee. "The last dance is a type of dance native only to the North and it's a dance that is dedicated to the other side, actually. You typically dance it with your partner or your friends—but it's the most important dance there is, they say that anyway." Her nose twitched as a speck of dust entered her nostril. "It's supposed to be a gesture of good will, but it's really hard to explain. I guess it's like an acknowledgement towards how life cycles and how we should be much more prudent with how we treat the Earth and how we leave it for future generations."

"It's also hard to dance but you can sort of make it up as you go after a certain bit because it's stupidly long," Ro said dutifully as she gave Kaoru a cheeky smile. "Last year Kaoru and I were too drunk and we had a bit too much fun and nearly broke a leg trying to go through it the proper way. Won't be doing that again, will we?" Kaoru gave Ro a heated look at the mention of their drunken antics as they had danced with Sanosuke and Megumi, closing out the night in a furor of alcohol fuelled eight stepping and bickering over who looked the most presentable.

"This one will go," Kenshin said hesitantly in a strained voice as he gave Kaoru a crooked smile at the image of trying to navigate through an already confusing culture with the more musical elements of human movement thrown into a stormy and turbulent mix. "Would there not be a problem if this one were out in the village?" Ro and Kaoru exchanged momentarily glances as they themselves were unsure how to answer, but Kaoru relented and shook her head in reply.

"I don't think so, as long as you don't let anyone really see your hair or face," She said quietly as she pursed her lips. "Besides, it would hardly be fair for us to leave you alone in the house while we're having a good time—I think we can break this rule just once, _well,_ exceptionally." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she watched Ro fiddle with the fabric of her borrowed skirt, the hem needing some serious repairs and Kaoru found herself counting the stitches mentally as she contemplated the merits of locking herself up in her room and avoiding any more utterances from her mouth.

"Exceptionally." It was repeated with a halting smile that did not seem to carry the same pleasant enthusiasm that Kenshin tended to speak with when engaging in conversation. Kaoru did not miss the dulling of his eyes as he regarded the two of them with an almost opiated stare, she herself slightly uncomfortable with how the light seemed to have faded from his normally inquisitive and warm expression. She looked away from the upsetting gaze that was trained upon her and she found that Ro had also quieted herself to uncharacteristic levels. Kenshin blinked owlishly as he realized that the two women were regarding him with careful stares and he started slightly before his smile softened and a much warmer light crept into his gaze.

"Well, if everything is alright, this one will resume the tasks downstairs," Kenshin finally said as he nodded his head slowly at them, the same hollow look to his eyes haunting Kaoru as she did not move to acknowledge him. Kenshin slowly retreated, closing the door behind him and she heard Ro's hiss from her lips as the blonde ran a flustered hand through her hair. Without having to say a word, she knew that even the Southerner found the normally jovial Kenshin's reaction disheartening and even she found herself slightly perturbed and confused.

"Something is bothering him," Ro muttered. "Any ideas?"

"None at all," Kaoru replied stonily as she bit her lip, wringing her hands together as she tried to scour her brain for what could have disturbed the red head so much to have had such a halting look to his face. She had seen those distant looks a few times before and was no stranger to them but she had never felt such a horrible wave of spiritual presence roll of him in such a way.

" _None_ ," She repeated quietly.

* * *

As the night drifted on the horizon, the streets darkening, Ro and Kaoru emerged from Kaoru's room dressed in their typical wear as they walked slowly down the stairs. Sanosuke had also returned and was lounging lazily on the sofa, his patrol cut short from an incident on the route that required the mining division to intervene and he was recalled back to the Long House. The fire had been recently stoked and it hummed energetically in the hearth, bathing the living room in a soft glow that seemed much more brilliant than normal. Sanosuke had offered to escort Ro back to her house in the Eastern district to which she had agreed, knowing that the patroller would not relent otherwise, and they had slipped away into the shadows of Tereré, Ro promising to reconsidering her donning of her pants in favour of the skirt.

Kaoru had taken stock of what was around her and saw that Kenshin had washed the blankets as well as some towels, leaving them to dry without getting in the way. The kitchen was cleaned and the table was absent of traces of meals and she assumed that he had gone to his room and would emerge later. Sighing as she realized she had taken for granted his generous cooking and effortless running of a household, she contemplated preparing her own make-do meal but vetoed it immediately knowing that Sanosuke would not be thrilled with eating her cooking.

She retreated back up the stairs, humming to herself the same song that she and Ro had danced to earlier, and shut herself away in the confines of her own room. The skirts were still scattered on her bed, although Ro had neatly folded them, and she reached for the swathes of bright fabric as she began to put them away in the wardrobe, having already decided which one she herself would don on the occasion. Kaoru than crawled onto her bed, burying her face into the cool surface of the pillow that she had re-sewn earlier that week and she closed her eyes, she herself succumbing to the gentle beckoning of sleep that reached out to her.

A few mere meters away in another room rested the seemingly stilled form of Kenshin, his back rigid despite the softness of the mattress, his hands folded upon his chest as though he were in prayer. He had closed himself within the privacy of his quarters after seeing that Kaoru and Ro were simply bumbling about and had retreated into the recesses of his blank mind, the darkness still overpowering and disorienting as he seemed to try and navigate the long empty corridors of what should have been memories or recollections. He was searching tediously for something, reaching out and trying to grasp something in the emptiness of his mind that simply did not exist or was locked away and not meant for him.

Something had compelled him to isolate himself from the humans that lived in the household and he had perceived something ominous on the tide of information that he was constantly receiving. His instincts were screaming at him to close himself off to the human plain where he was and to hide within the murky depths of his mind despite not knowing what laid within the darkness that seemed to be watching him with a predatory glower that went unseen to him. His body had nearly shut down, his breathing minimal and his movements nulled as the world slowly froze over and he tuned into the sounds that were inaudible to the mortal ear but were crystal clear to him.

He could hear the murmuring of the trees as they seemed to discuss his closeness to the very forces that destroyed them: their words were unkind and harsh as they viciously clawed at the human savageness of pillaging the forest of its resources and killing its mythical residents. Their murmurs were mixed with the unsettling whispers of the stream that gurgled angrily at how it was running redder and redder with blood because the patrollers were out in force and slaughtering anything that came across their path. The stream's bubbling words were muddled as he heard the mountain groaning heavily about how lethargic it felt as the miners picked away at her existence, reducing her to nothing bit-by-bit.

 _Humans are quite destructive and hardheaded, aren't they?_ A masculine voice rang out from behind the cacophony of the environment that hugged the village and Kenshin felt his brow furrow at how human it sounded compared to the rest. The words were concise and controlled as they were effortless: whatever had decided to speak had mastered human speech perfectly and knew how to catch Kenshin's attention with it. As he tried to reach out again into the darkness to locate the origin of the voice, it just chuckled at the attempt as it batted away his hand.

 _Not all of them are like this, as you know, but the Earth cannot really distinguish the minority from the majority,_ The voice commented neutrally as though it were something that was factual and a part of life that seemed acceptable. _It's a shame, really, there are still many lovely humans left that find this world deplorable._

"Who are you?" Kenshin's voice was tight as he tried to plunge his hand deeper into the darkness and found that the inky and murky depths of his mind resisted, forcing his hand away. The voice chuckled again warmly as though bemused by the red-head's attempt to thrust himself into his own memories and recollections by pure will power and force. The darkness seemed to hiss at him, burning his skin for venturing too close and trying to touch the untouchable. He looked down to examine his hand but did not find any burn etchings other than the runes that had always existed on his palm.

 _It has been a while since we've met, but perhaps we shall each other soon enough,_ The voice responded. _Perhaps, although fate may have other uses for me in the end._ Kenshin felt his body tense at being referred to as a 'child' but his interest piqued significantly at the mention of the word 'fate', his hand slowly reaching out and seemingly stroking the darkness around him that seemed to ripple and bristle against his hand. _It must be difficult to exist without memories or knowing who you are._

"This one has my name, which is more than what was expected to be regained," Kenshin countered as he narrowed his eyes at the darkness that babbled about him, slowly enclosing him and taunting him to go further into the depths of his own mind.

 _Ah, my apologies, perhaps it would be better to say: 'what' you are,_ The voice re-cast as it seemed sullen all of a sudden and silenced itself thoughtfully. Kenshin grunted lightly at the voice's words as he once again tried to stretch his hand into the darkness and was once again rejected by his own mind that was barricaded away from him.

 _Child, I admire your tenacious desire to embrace your memories, but let things come as time and fate wish them to,_ The voice said sagely as Kenshin froze, blinking momentarily into the darkness that seemed quite smug with the words uttered from the unseen voice. I _am here to warn you of one thing: your time in this village is coming to an end and you must move down the path you are destined to walk—the very path you were woken once again to traverse. I understand that you have started to form bonds with the humans who have taken you in... especially the young woman. Cherish them, protect them:but do not stray from what you are needed to do._

"And what is this one supposed to do? What purpose was so great to awaken this one from deep slumber?" His voice was flickering between strained and confused, an authentic inability to comprehend what was happening within his mind and how his physical body was unresponsive.

 _I am not at liberty to reveal that, but there are rumbles in the village that know you are within their walls and they are going to strike while they can and when people are most vulnerable,_ The voice replied as it ignored his plead for information. _You are to suffer once again but your sacrifice will not be wasted as it had been before._

"Before?" Kenshin repeated as he felt his vocal chords strain as he felt his blood run cold. " What do you mean _before?_ "

 _If we are to cross paths, I will gladly begin to fill in some of the gaps in your memory,_ The voice said as though it pitied Kenshin and his vulnerability regarding the position he was in, finding it more and more dubious as he became more and more conscious of the world around him. _Right now I have not the time or means to fully explain. My own time to speak to you is coming to an end. However, my parting words to you are the following: when the time comes, you are to go South, which you have known for some time now. Go as far as you can—and you will find help along the way._

"South?" Kenshin's voice was reduced to almost nothingness as he felt his heart thump heavily against his chest as the memory of the vision he had, had of Kaoru clawed at his brain viciously, her words saying that she would accompany him on the Migration to the South but her contradictory reaction when he had solicited her company. There was a roaring that grew in the back of his head as he felt his vision bleed into blackness, the static roar in his mind amplifying and intensifying as he felt himself brought to his knees, his hands reaching up to cradle his temples as he felt his chest tighten. There were too many mentions of the South for him to make even the most rudimentary sense of it but the urging and the seeming confirmation that he had required when he felt his instincts tugging him to the opposite of the compass were heavily validated.

 _The South is where you will find your answers, The_ voice reported sternly. _Perhaps we will cross paths on the way—I hope we do, if fate is to agree. You will find allies along the way who will come to your aid, do not fear making this journey alone_ , The voice said in a semi-reassuring tone. _I lament your departure because you are truly much happier now than you ever were before, however, you are needed because this world has been uprooted from stable foundations._

Kenshin found himself choking as his body shook with heavy coughs as he tried to break the hold that constricted him, but the voice's words seemed to sear themselves to his mind as he was unable to push them to the side. There was a sudden explosion of darkness behind his eyes and he felt his body fall backwards despite never having lifted from the bed. He could hear the voice's cheeky words of farewell as Kenshin thrashed about on the bed uncomfortably, the snaking pressure around his neck disappearing instantly as he snapped his eyes open and found himself staring at the roof of his room.

The house was quiet, the only sound being the occasional crackle from the fire, yet Kenshin could not shake the roaring from his head as the information stream seemed to have increased in size and he heard another symphony that had been absent before. Exhaling loudly as he ceased thrashing and tried to calm his racing mind and heart, he closed his eyes once again as he felt the world stop spinning and his senses stabilized.

 _Go South._

 _There are allies._

 _Your sacrifice will not be wasted._

Words that Kenshin understood at face value but could not comprehend their deeper meaning: he felt himself falling down into the deeper abyss from which he knew there would be no escape.

* * *

A/N: I have to admit, I am quite selfish and wanted to incorporate a bit of folk dance into this story at some point. It's a very fun scene to write and the actual dance is based off a traditional dance from Argentina called _chacarera._ The song used in this chapter is also a type of _chacarera_ song and it's called 'Cardinal's Chacarera'. There's a couple versions of it, but I recommend the version by Soledad Pastorutti. And so, the plot keeps moving along at its own pace. :)

Don't forget to review! Even if you're stopping in to say 'hello'! And remember, I don't own the characters, just this nut-case of a plot.

PS: There will be no updates for the next few weeks, but I will have my laptop with me and will try to pre-write as much as I can. :D See you guys in a few weeks!


	14. Chapter 14

Book II

Menydh

Mountain

Chapter XIIII

Home

"May your journey overflow with sadness and happiness."

* * *

There was a quietness to the house that disturbed Kaoru as she woke the next morning: she knew that Sanosuke had already began the trek back to Tereré accompanying Megumi and she imagined that Kenshin had not woken up yet in the cool air of the morning. She winced as her feet touched the cold floor and she groped for the wool socks she had discarded on the floor, slowly slipping them on her feet as she yawned mightily, rubbing at a stray trail of drool that had pooled in the corner of her mouth.

Gliding over the recently swept floor like a phantom of legend, she descended to the main floor of the house as she blinked away the last few traces of sleep from her eyes. It was the day prior to the festival and she knew that she needed to gather some of the winter plants to decorate the house with in order to welcome in the festivities. She was not due to start patrolling for a few hours and she made a groggy face as she contemplated collecting the plants prior to or during her route with Ro. She had been hoping that Kenshin would have been awake to at least tag along given that the company would have been welcomed, but she preferred to leave him sleeping peacefully.

Yanking on her cloak as she assessed the fire, still burning relatively well, she decided she would throw a few sticks into the crackling flames when she returned. Reaching back and tugging on her hood so that it covered her head and protected her from the wind, she slipped through the front door and closed it quietly, listening to the bolt catch as she vanished from the residential district, kicking up light dust as she moved towards the safe-area around the base of the forested mountain in the search for a few cuttings of the winter plants. She skimmed over the ground like a creature of the night, her feet barely making a sound as she bounded towards the clearing, only the truly early risers perhaps catching a glimpse of a cloaked figure racing through the dawn twilight.

* * *

Kenshin had finally stirred upon hearing an unfamiliar female voice that was speaking hurriedly and something that he assumed was Sanosuke's groan in response to the garbled speech of the woman. There was the sound of something being scraped over the floor and he winced at the sharpness of the noise before finally pushing himself upright and allowing his senses to come to as he reacquainted himself with the human world. After the occurrence of the previous evening and the voice's warning being cemented to his brain along with six million other questions that he desperately wished to have answered, he had fallen into a comatose like sleep and had neglected to emerge from his room. It had been a peaceful and unmoving sleep as he felt his subconscious had been submerged into the depths of the inky black darkness that seemed to linger in his mind.

As the voices' words became clearer, he could hear that the female below was launching a rapid-fire series of questions about the state of the house and how they could be living in such conditions to which Sanosuke grunted and said that it was perfectly fine for their needs. The woman's accent, as Kenshin was able to pick up on, was definitively Northern but seemed much more refined compared to Kaoru or Sanosuke's way of speaking—as though she had a much more scholarly way of discourse that seemed atypical of a region where education had been severely reduced to near nothingness. His ears picked up on the sound of the woman setting something on the table and pulling a chair out from underneath, mentioning that she would love a cup of tea after the long journey and Kenshin immediately knew that the woman was the so-called Megumi who had been moved to the capital to further her education in medicine.

As he slid out of the warmth of the bed he had been occupying, Kenshin stopped momentarily and glanced in the mirror to take in his appearance. He was unsure as to if Kaoru had informed Megumi about him or not and was even more uncertain as to how the woman downstairs would react to seeing an unfamiliar man living upstairs. He calculated that Sanosuke would have mentioned something to her on their lengthy journey from Nantia but he was never too certain with the rooster-headed patroller and his actions. Sighing, he stared back at his reflection and found himself presentable enough as he smoothed down a stray hair that had stuck up during the evening. The scar on his cheek was still prominent and he found himself staring at it, even unsure as to how he had managed to have acquired such a brutal looking pattern on his cheek.

 _I lament your departure because you are truly much happier now than you ever were before,_ the voice swirled in his head, the words clear as a crystalline lake free of contamination. Kenshin found himself unfurling the palm of his right hand as he stared down at the runes that ran across his skin; they were nonsense and gibberish to him yet somehow he understood that they served a purpose and were tied to his existence. They were a jumble of letters that had no cohesion yet they were the one thing that marked him differently from a human in terms of his outward appearance. Kaoru had been embarrassed when she had admitted to having sketched the runes and tried to decipher them herself to no avail yet he could recall that the woman downstairs could potentially know something about them.

He curled his palm and formed an angry fist as he sighed: he knew that the voice last night was spurring him to depart as had his instincts from deep within his soul yet he himself was dubious as to if he was truly ready to abandon the kind household that had taken him in. Kaoru had looked at him sadly when she had denied his request to accompany her and Kenshin found himself contemplating if it had truly been her decision or if fate had deemed it that way. The mere fact that she had been informed that he would depart sooner rather than later had already been uncomfortable to reveal to her and he suspected that it truly had bothered her on a much deeper level than she was willing to let him be privy to due to her stubborn streak.

 _This one was much happier than before,_ he thought inwardly as he frowned at the cryptic meaning to the words that implied that whatever had occurred in the past had left heavy emotional scars that he could not remember or even begin to comprehend. There was a sense of gloom that hung around those words as though they hinted that Kenshin was never destined to be content or happy and he found himself wondering if whatever life he had lived before had been marred by war, tragedy, or conflict in the great warring era. The fact that he had also made some sort of sacrifice sat poorly with him as he was even unsure as to what good his own individual action could have made in the world. There were no mentions of him in written history and Kaoru, Sanosuke, and Ro's combined efforts resulted in nothing of use to him in terms of fitting the complex pieces of the memory puzzle into something comprehendible.

He looked away from the reflective glass that cast his own image of doubt and mystery back at him in a taunting way and he exited his room, slowly pacing the length of the hallway as he descended the stairs, announcing his presence. He caught the attention of the dark haired woman who was looking up at his emerging figure as she watched him caustically, her sharp eyes observant as though she were studying him like a corpse she had been given to dissect. She was dressed in finer clothes than those of the villagers and she gave off a decadent air about her that was baffling considering her origins were, too, from the Northern civilization. She seemed well put together and seeming unfazed by his own curious violet stare as he regarded her with caution.

"Oh, there you are," Sanosuke grunted as he slammed the tea kettle onto the table and gave Megumi a scathing look. "Sorry if we woke you up— _someone_ insisted that we rest a bit in Nantia before traveling. Just got in." Megumi gave a light shrug at his accusation as she rose from the table, extending her slim pale hand forward as she gave Kenshin a tight lipped smile, still gauging his reactions to her. He stared at her hand momentarily before accepting it with his left hand, shaking it as he realized that her nimble fingers were ideal for her medical profession and she seemed to have been born with many advantages other than an esteemed family at the helm of her education and grooming.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," She said in neutral greeting as they released hands and she sat back down. "You must be Kenshin—Sano has spoken to me about you, although his descriptions hardly touch the real one."

"Please, the pleasure is all this one's," He replied with an incline of his head as he remained standing and unassuming of the secondary underlying meaning to her words. "This one presumes that you are Ms. Megumi?" She nodded and her tight lipped smile eased into a much more natural one that highlighted the vulpine features of her face.

"Like I said, Sanosuke told me quite a bit about you, or rather, what has been happening in the last few months in _my_ absence," Megumi began as she gestured for him to sit down as though they were in her own house. Kenshin warily sat down as he was unsure as how to react to such a clever woman that seemed to have a fox-like wit about her. "Starting with the fact that, you, of course, are not a human." His eyes remained placid as he took in her words—factually true—but was uncertain as to how to register her tone or lack of.

"Oy, Megumi, at least wait until Kaoru comes back before you start with your nonsense," Sanosuke said in warning as he joined them at the rickety table and sat down, legs sprawling whichever way there was space. His own eyes were worried as he looked between the other two at the table and it appeared as though he, too, had something heavy on his mind that he was unsure as to how to properly address.

"You yourself asked me to examine his hand," Megumi shot back as she looked at the rooster-haired patroller who was giving her a stony look. "It's not my fault that you're uncultured and cannot read anything more complex than a twelve-year old's reading level!" Her words cut through him like an honest blade but Sanosuke grit his teeth as he _tcked_ in his throat, reaching for a tea cup and serving himself with a splash of the burning liquid. While it was true that Sanosuke's academic intelligence was not his strongest asset and he accepted it, he found that the mere mention of it by the higher class of Tereré was mildly insulting.

Megumi turned her gaze back to Kenshin and gave him an eye roll at the entirety of the situation. She reached for the tea kettle and served herself and Kenshin some of the aromatic tea, tutting at Sanosuke's annoyed look at her brusk way of speaking. As she placed the cup in front of Kenshin, she gave him a sly look before going in for the straight kill: "Would you mind if I examined your right hand? Sanosuke told me that you had some runes on your hand that you're unsure of and asked me to look at them." Kenshin gave her a quizzical look but un-balled his fist as he turned it palm-side up so that she could examine it.

Her hands were gentle and well practiced as she took his right hand in hers, tracing the shapes with her fingers, asking an occasional question that he was either able or unable to answer. She moved his hands, testing the joints and their flexibility, pressing her thumbs into his palm to see how he would react to the pressure points, and she conducted a thorough study as she muttered something to herself as she examined his knuckles with a sharp eye. Soon afterwards, she released his hand and looked back at Sanosuke: "From the shape and the way they are formed, it looks like they're from the Eastern civilization's native language. It's not as mutually intelligible as the Northern or Southern runes or the standardized one from Central, so I don't know what they say exactly. I can only pick out a few that I learned. I do have a colleague who is from the East and I might be able to get him to translate it."

"From the East? The coast?" Kenshin inquired as he looked down to stare at the unassuming marks on his hand.

"Correct," Megumi confirmed. "The Eastern civilization is the coastal community of villages. They're quite different from us, considering that we're all technically the same country, but they've always had a lot of outsider influence because of their proximity to the seas and the trade routes. Their language is also quite complex, but most are bilingual and can speak the standard dialect we all use." She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed as she gave Sanosuke a probing look. "Discarding momentarily the fact that he's not human, we can at least know he's from the Eastern coastal area if we are to believe anything on his hand as a clue."

"The East, huh?" Sanosuke took a hard sip of tea as he slurped it carelessly. "Don't know anyone from there—or much about it. They're pretty fucking isolated after all."

"They also did not have as many issues with the campaigns as the South did," Megumi said thoughtfully as she pressed her lips into a thin line as she looked over at Kenshin. "The South, as you know, suffered the most blood shed in Central's plans to take over. The East, from what we know, was mostly spared although they had always had their own conflicts with the vizinhos that led them down a different path."

"What does Ms. Megumi refer to by a different path?"

"The East had already had a massive conflict with them over the oceans and waterways that make the East what it is in terms of resources," Sanosuke commented lightly. "It was a fairly remote conflict there and the Eastern villages banded together in order to take out the more influential and more dangerous vizinhos that seemed to run the show and tried to mess up the human control over the water. By the time Central even contemplated going East-bound, the situation had more or less been under control. We don't know much about that, at least here in the North, but we get the occasional bit of news about them."

"Ah." His response was stifling and the other two exchanged mere glances, trying to muster the words to break the awkward tension that had settled over them like a heavy blanket. Megumi made a move to open her mouth but was interrupted by a loud clanging sound that grew more and more persistent as it traveled through the streets of the village. Sanosuke banged his fist down on the table, startling Kenshin and Megumi, as he pushed his chair back and muttered select words under his breath as he gave Megumi a knowing look, jutting his head at the door and motioning for her to follow him.

"Kenshin, you stay here," He growled. "We're all being summoned to the centre."

"Summoned?"

"Enishi has come to Tereré on delegation business," Megumi explained hurriedly as she shoved her arms back into her cloak and flicked a bit of fuzz from the sleeve. "All villagers are being called to the tower because of his presence in the village. He's probably going to give a speech."

"Who is Enishi?" Kenshin asked and Sanosuke froze at the realization that, despite Enishi being the focal point of hatred for many villagers, it was a name that was only spoken in whispers or not uttered at all given that no one knew who would be listening. Snorting heavily as he shrugged into his own cloak, he balled his fists together before responding with a hurried, "He's our country's leader."

"The man who runs everything from Central," Kenshin murmured. "Enishi."

"Yes, that's him," Megumi answered as she and Sanosuke moved towards the door. "He was on the same train as I was. There was not enough time to warn Kaoru, so she's probably in for a nasty surprise—he's not well loved amongst anyone." Her almond shaped eyes were attentive as she tilted her head at Sanosuke who threw open the door with a mighty swing.

"Enishi is a real piece of work and he's vicious," Sanosuke said as he looked back at Kenshin with a hardened gaze. "He's the reason why Kaoru, Ro, and I have jobs. The whole existence of patrollers comes from his desire to maintain control over the lands that fall in Central's shadow. He's a dangerous man—but we'll speak more on it later. Fucking bastard is walking into a hornet nest showing his face around these parts." As the door close and Megumi gave Kenshin a sassy wave in departure, the red head turned his head to stare out the window at the disappearing forms of Sanosuke and Megumi as they moved quickly towards the centre.

 _Your time in this village is coming to an end and you must move down the path you are destined to walk,_ the voice wafted through his mind and Kenshin felt his muscles tighten at the realization that certain pieces to a complex and infinite puzzle were slowly falling into place. The forest was whimpering now, a change from the joy with which it had been bubbling happily earlier, and he was certain that the arrival of this so-called Enishi was what had tamed the forest's normal shrieks and reduced them into nothingness.

 _Go South._

"It's time," He whispered harshly as he felt his heart constrict, the very talons of faith latching to the delicate relationships he had forged as they refused to let go.

* * *

The village's gloomy weather only served to complement the arrival of one of the most despised figures in the country as he stood quietly on the elevated platform that had been erected for the Solstice festival. He was dressed in a black cloak that was smart and fitted to his frame, his boots shining with the hints of expensive leather that were constantly treated and waxed. His hands were folded behind his back as he looked over the gathering of villagers that were watching him with hardened eyes that spoke to their opinion of him. He felt Kanryuu and Kanryuu's rat-faced assistant flanking him as they were expected to do in his presence.

Enishi could pick out the patrollers that were donning their red caps and their white cloaks, some were holding weapons and others seemed to be either going on or leaving their shift. They had conglomerated together in a mass of red and white as they watched him warily, knowing that he had given them the very duties that they hated. He could also spot the medical brigade huddling together towards the centre of the crowd, their group flanked by the miners that were still in the village as well as some of the loggers. There were individuals of the survey corps—their green crests sewn onto their cloaks giving them away—but their young faces were hesitant and guarded as they regarded Enishi.

The village elders were at the front of the crowd, some were leaning on canes and others were standing independently: they were the hardest to convince of Central's policies and it had taken the delegation and Kanyruu's skillful emotional manipulation to be able to weasel their influence into the running of Tereré. The elders were rough and hardy thanks to the countless winters they had survived and they were no fools in many ways. Kanyruu had taken significant time in dragging them into Central's sphere of influence yet he knew that many of the elders were still not elated with the changes to the once proud industrial village. They were truly rugged Northerners that harboured no affection towards the prim and proper citizens of Central and Kanyruu often reported of their words to Enishi.

"Citizens of Tereré," Enishi began to speak as he straightened his back. "I would first like to acknowledge the contributions of the North and how its people have ensured that the country remains safe in thanks to the high quality resources and arms produced in this very village. The North has always been known for its high standards of production and this has not faltered. Our Delegation here speaks highly of the efficiency, the production quality, and the dedication of this village and its people to its craft.

"I have been invited by the Delegation to witness the Winter Solstice that is to take place tomorrow in the attempts to better understand the North and to remedy the disconnection between Central and the Cardinal Civilizations," Enishi continued as he watched the miners and loggers begin to whisper amongst themselves. "As a nation, we have grown stronger and we have been able to retake what is ours: the lands that our ancestors had explored, mapped, and developed are now more numerous and expansive. We have been able to control those that wish to oppose the human drive towards innovation and exploration—curbing back the threats that are of this world and of the other world.

"The campaigns were only the beginning of our arduous journey to restore humanity to its glory as well as its dominating role upon this Earth as the true entity that tops the natural order," Enishi spoke with fierce resolve as he raised his hand and gestured amongst the crowd of people that had gathered before him. "The austerity measures and the rationing have been difficult, as we are all aware—" words that provoked harsh murmurs amongst the citizens—"But, _but,_ they have been effective as we have learned to delegate based on necessity. Each decision is taken with the utmost respect as well as awareness of the situation at hand. There will be more austerity required to achieve our goals and what our country requires to maintain its stance amongst rising nations in an era that will be marred by war and great loss if we are to wander carelessly.

"More importantly, however, we must acknowledge the labour of the patrolling division that has put itself on the front line of this ever-expanding frontier in the interest of protecting our people's desire to reclaim what has always been rightfully ours," Enishi continued as he raised both hands and gestured towards the patrollers that felt thousands of eyes fall upon them. They were quiet as they looked down at their feet and Enishi could not help but notice that the two women patrollers had tilted their caps down to shield themselves from the scrutinizing glances.

"The patrollers are the bastion of justice in an unjust world—they are the ones who venture further than the rest to ensure our interests are protected and they wave the flag of the greatness of humanity in the face of the very enemies that wish to challenge us." The patrollers were still silent as they refused to bend to the crowd's mixed plethora of looks. "They bare their fangs against those that wish to crush the human desire to evolve and innovate: they raise their arms not with the intention of killing but of the good spirt of protecting our dreams, our ideals, and our aspirations.

"The is the era of change for our nation and for our people," Enishi returned to speaking as he looked away from the red caps of the patrollers and addressed the general collective. "This is the era in which we unify ourselves together under one common ideology and one common identity that will lead us forward in forging an even stronger nation in the face of adversity. A celebration of our greatness and that of the Four Cardinal Civilizations united by the nexus that s Central. Within the next few days, I will be inspecting all aspects of life in Tereré and all the divisions to ensure that our nation's needs are met as well as the citizens of this great land. Additionally, the Delegation and myself will personally address the patrolling division with regards to the evolution of their profession—a step towards securing our foothold in the pantheon of human endurance and persistence."

Enishi's grin widened as he opened his arms as though embracing the village between the cold flesh of his heartless existence. "The path we have set out upon is the one that will ensure our security as a country, our strength as a nation, and our greatness as the truly superior entities that are destined to rule. Northerners, mighty as you are, indulge in the festivities that have been well deserved by the people who run the industrial backbone of this nation." He lowered his arms as Kanryuu drew up to him so that they were shoulder to shoulder, both of them considering the hesitant applause that was brought to life amongst the villagers below them. They were not ignorant to the fact that the North had always been problematic and difficult to control given that the habitants were accustomed to hardship and resisted Central's attempts of squashing their rebellious spirit.

As Enishi began to wave out at the ground, plastering a charismatic smile on his face, he felt Kanyruu lean in and took advantage of their closeness to whisper: "He is hiding within the village somewhere. We should begin preparations for his capture soon before he is made aware that he is being pursued."

"I have a nagging feeling that he is more than aware that he is within our sights," Kanyruu replied in an equally quiet voice. "Aoshi has not been cooperative and has denied any knowledge of the Vestige and his whereabouts in the village. Your sister was not of much help either."

"She will not bend to your will if she refuses to bend to mine," Enishi replied dryly. "It matters very little—as much as I adore my sister, she is nothing but a thorn in my side and causes me quite a bit of grief."

"I cannot empathize," Kanyruu retorted.

"Empathy is an emotion that is just as foreign as we are in this village," Enishi grunted as he lowered his hand and motioned for his guards to approach him to escort him back to the Delegation's headquarters. The military police scurried up to the stage as they formed a protective circle around the leader, whisking him away skillfully before there was a hint of his presence left in the air.

* * *

"I can't believe him," Kaoru muttered as she, Ro, Sanosuke, and Megumi plodded back towards Sanosuke and Kaoru's home. Ro had jammed her red cap over her head so that it covered her ears, her blue eyes disturbed and shimmering with a dangerous mixture of hatred and dread as she touched Kaoru's shoulder gently. Sanosuke was oddly quiet, himself not speaking once since he and Megumi had found Ro and Kaoru standing together, their arms ladened with the winter plants required to decorate the house. The happy and joyful atmosphere seemed to have been replaced with a heavy sense of gloom and despair at the knowledge that the very man that destroyed and drove the village into the ground was within the walls of the town and the town had lost its merry edge.

Kaoru had not ceased her protective grip on the plants, clinging to them desperately, as she and Ro huddled together amongst the other patrollers who were immediately called out by the leader of their nation. When the villagers had cast their eyes upon her and her fellow patrollers, she had wanted to melt into the ground or pray that a great chasm would open and swallow her into the belly of the Earth. The patrollers were loved and hated by the villagers and while most understood that their circumstances were far from ideal, there was a lingering stigma that they were unable to shake from their profession.

"I certainly was not expecting such words from him," Megumi said in a withdrawn voice. She herself was accustomed to Enishi's grandiose and charismatic speeches that were filled with lovely discourse and flowery language that was meant to rile emotions. While it seemed to have the desired outcome on the Central capital and its citizens, she knew that his words would only fuel more mistrust within the Northern territories given that they were conditioned to take anything at face value knowing that there were no promises that were fulfilled and a great emptiness would rear its head again. The North had not fared well amongst Enishi's austerity measures and the attempts to control the rebellious people were only met with more violence and clashes. He rarely spoke of the North or mentioned it other than when referring to industrial practices as though he knew he was provoking a great beast that was best left dormant.

"What could he want from us?" Kaoru asked in a tight voice.

"I'm not sure," Ro answered in an equally strained voice. "The evolution of our profession, I guess—but those are sure some vague words."

"They sit poorly with me," Megumi commented as they took the last corner as they approached the last stretch of the route that led them home. "Most things he says that he'll do, he does, to be fair, but what else could he require from a patrolling division?"

"I have a feeling they want us to reorganize our priorities and give us something else to tackle," Sanosuke finally chimed in as he looked down at the three women that were pensive and apprehensive. "Don't want to go around saying things that may not be true, but… I have a feeling we're going to be absorbed into the military and be used for something else that goes beyond just ensuring public safety."

"You mean lose our autonomous status," Kaoru said. "To begin with, anyway..."

"Just a _feeling_ , Missy, but the way he kept going on and on about how fucking great humans are and how we cannot let the vinizhos interfere with human innovation or whatever shit he was rambling on about—that's my gut feeling and my gut is fairly right," Sanosuke replied heatedly as he looked down at Kaoru who was watching him with wide eyes that seemed to speak volumes as to what was running though her mind.

"Kaoru, whatever it is, you won't know until it's confirmed by Enishi himself," Megumi said firmly as she realized that Kaoru was slowly retreating back within the confines of her inner thoughts and Megumi knew that, that was a dangerous place for the young woman to be in given that she had barely escaped from the very shadowy depths of her grief. "Do not give it a second thought because, regardless of what he says, there is going to be very little you can do about it."

"She's right," Ro pipped in. "There's no point in worrying about—although I _know_ you will—but Sanosuke and I will be with you. I know it is hard for you to not take these warnings lightly, but don't jump the proverbial gun. Whatever it is, we can overcome it: you and I have done this before many times, okay?" The blonde felt Kaoru's gaze fix on her and she gave her a reassuring smile that she had often given her late husband. "We are going to be just fine."

"I know I shouldn't think about it, but after everything that they've done to us," Kaoru protested weakly and Sanosuke cut her off by saying, "—We will keep resisting in our own way. It's about subtly, Kaoru, control yourself." The rooster-haired patroller gave her a half smile and rested a strong hand on her tiny shoulder out of fraternal care. "Worry about it after the festival—remember, Kenshin has accepted your invitation and it would be pretty damned selfish if you let your thoughts and worries ruin it for both of you."

"What does he have—"

"—He's protecting you from certain things and you should do the same, that's all," Megumi cut in as she gave Kaoru a sharp look. "From what Sanosuke has told me, that is. Don't ruin it because you still are not mature enough to know how to repress your emotions." The doctor-in-training's expression softened as she watched Kaoru's face neutralize as she sighed and gave a nod in acknowledgement. "It's not an easy path, the one you three walk, and hardship and death are always lingering. Enjoying your life day to day may not be the most ideal way but it is probably the most rewarding because you cherish it more." The three patrollers looked over at Megumi who broke away from them as she picked up her pace towards the house, her hair billowing lightly in the frigid breeze.

* * *

Dinner that evening was an animated affair as the four humans hid the Enishi's words from Kenshin, opting to instead catch up on village gossip while Megumi rambled on about the bizarre things that she had seen in Central. Megumi had graciously brought some scarce meat from the capital for them to share and she and Ro prepared it whilst Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Kaoru began to decorate the house with the flowers and plants that Kaoru had gathered earlier that day. The atomsphere of the snug confines of the home was merry and the splashes of floral colour seemed to brighten the space significantly more.

"These are beautiful flowers that only bloom in winter," Kaoru explained to Kenshin who was twirling an orange-reddish English Primrose between his fingers as he studied it curiously. She was making an attempt at arranging them into a circular wreath as Sanosuke took to hanging the bunches of holly leaves and berries above the door, balanced precarious on a chair. Kenshin had stayed close to Kaoru that evening as she explained each flower to him and allowed him to inspect them and smell their calming fragrances before she added them to the wreath.

"Many times women will use the flowers as a part of their attire," Megumi explained from the kitchen as she peeped out to check on the progress of the flowers. "They all have different meanings but they are truly spectacular flowers for being able to tolerate such temperatures." She vanished back in the kitchen as she said something to Ro who replied cheerfully, the sound of a knife slapping against meat.

"I'm excited that we get to eat meat," Sanosuke said gruffly as he glanced down at the two who were seated at the table. "It's been nearly two years since we had anything—it was damned time." Kaoru bobbed her head in agreement, glad to be tasked with arranging the decorations as opposed to tackling the tedious work of taming the oven and procuring a delicious meat dish from the hardy machine. She trusted Ro and Megumi to provide that evening's meal as she and Kenshin slowly worked their way though the flowers, content with each other's company.

An hour later, the five were gathered around the table as Megumi served each person a modest portion of meat, warning them to eat slowly lest they wished to upset their digestive systems. Ro and Sanosuke enthusiastically cut into the fleshy food that was dressed with potatoes and a brown sauce that seemed to have been crafted from the fat drippings that had been caught in the pan. Kaoru was much more delicate as she neatly cut her meat into bite sized pieces, alternating between potato and meat so that her stomach would not exact its revenge on her later. Megumi followed Kaoru's much more controlled eating style while Kenshin tucked into it at a moderated pace. The five were stuffed contentedly as they felt their bellies groan for the intake of such richness but they all knew they would sleep heavily that evening.

As they cleaned up, Sanosuke and Kenshin washing the dishes while Kaoru finished up with the decorations, Megumi and Ro accompanied her as they aided in finishing the floral wreath that was hung on the door. As they examined their handy-work, Kaoru sneezed a few times which brought upon light teasing from the two other women. The dreary and dread that had seized their minds earlier seemed temporarily forgotten as they behaved like a dysfunctional family of people who had been widowed, who had lost everything, or who simply did not remember who they were. It was a sense of unity that did not go lost on the red head as he emerged from the kitchen and watched the three women laughing amongst themselves, Kaoru clutching at her stomach as her laughter threatened to overtake her small body.

Sanosuke set off with the two women to escort them home and Kaoru and Kenshin were left to ensure that the house was properly tended to before they were all to retire for the evening. Kaoru retrieved some extra blankets from a cubby hole and handed them to Kenshin, mentioning that it would be much colder that evening. He accepted them as he ambled up the stairs before returning to help turn down the house.

"Ms. Megumi is quite the character," Kenshin offered as he tossed a few branches into the fire, the embers casting a light and mysterious hue over his face that was etched by the shadows of the house. Kaoru turned to look at him and felt her breathe catch momentarily as she realized how other-worldly he looked dressed in the loose white shirt and black pants that she had altered for him so that they did not drag along the ground. Kaoru constantly forgot that he was not of their blood and flesh because of his outward human appearance yet she knew that there was always something much more complex that gave him a non-human depth that she would never understand. He looked regal in the light of the fire and she felt her heart skip a beat as she nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes she is," She agreed as she drew the blinds fully closed. "We miss her a lot when she's in Central. We know it is necessary for her to become a better doctor, but, well… you know." Kaoru turned back to him as she folded her hands in front of her thoughtfully as she regarded Kenshin with her bright blue eyes. "Things have changed a lot without her and it must be hard for her to go between two different places."

"It would be, that it would," Kenshin relented with a light smile. Kaoru drew up next to him as she stared into the fire place with a placid look to her face, her blue eyes serene yet they seemed troubled by something that he was aware she would not tell him about despite his gentle insistence. The human standing beside him was a fascinating creature to someone like Kenshin who was constantly surprised, impressed, and deceived by their abilities to mask their emotions or control themselves. Kaoru was a gentle spirit and, as though he could see her soul through the tangle of energy that his third eye could see, he knew that her gentleness had come at great sacrifice.

Kenshin was aware that she was hiding many things from him just as he did from her in the interest of protecting or not straining their relationship. He wished to protect their delicate bond knowing that fate had little tolerance for interference and yet he could not help but feel disappointed and hurt knowing that the time he had by her side was severely short. He was torn between complying with what was expected of him—something he was blind to himself—or continuing to forge and strengthen the bond with the woman who was humming to herself beside him.

There were things that he knew he would never understand about humans and their way of thinking but he found that Kaoru was a patient teacher who never held any prejudice against him for not understanding. She knew he was a victim of cruel circumstances, she as she was, and she remained devoted to ensuring that he had as much information as he requested. She was a vibrant and wonderful human that Kenshin found himself drawn to and found his soul wanting to intertwine with hers in a warm understanding of mutual suffering and understanding.

"Tomorrow will be fun," She finally spoke as she looked at him. "I hope you enjoy the first Solstice… first of many, hopefully," She said as she made a face at how repetitive she sounded. Kenshin found that same gripping on his heart returning with a ferocity that rivalled the cold winter air that blew over the village in the late night. He knew that he would not be present beyond this one festival and he knew that the calling of the forest and the other world would take precedence over his own happiness or desire to deepen the relationship he knew he would miss dearly upon his departure.

"Yes, that it will," He replied steadily as he refused to met her gaze, training his violet eyes on the fire that beckoned and waved at him as though taunting him. It was almost as though it were reminding him that he, despite whatever human face he was wearing, was of other blood and had abused his time amongst these humans for too long. It was mocking him for not having a recollection of who he was and only knowing that he perhaps originated from the East if what was scarred onto his body was any indication of his roots. There was a darkness that lingered in the back of his soul that seemed to whisper to him that it was time to set out towards the South and ensure that his reason for awakening was fulfilled. The heavy contradiction of being attracted to Kaoru weighed heavily against him as he found himself at odds and questioning the very decision he had already taken.

"I'm going to turn in for the night, Ro and I still have to patrol tomorrow morning and I want to get as much sleep as I can," Kaoru said lightly as she patted his shoulder. "Rest well, Kenshin." She gave him a parting smile as she slowly drew away from him and he reached out quickly, snagging her wrist as she turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

"Ms. Kaoru, this one…" He trailed off as he did not even have the words that he wanted to say to her. His soul would agonize for her warmth, for her company, and for her seemingly unconditional acceptance of him. She would no longer walk with him through the night as he listened to the forest shriek and he would not longer be waiting for her by the gate as he had done for many months.

"Is something wrong?" She asked lightly as her eyes trailed between his hand on her wrist and his face.

"It's nothing," He said flatly. "Please rest well, Ms. Kaoru." He released her wrist and she stepped away from him with a quizzical stare before nodding and whispering a soft ' _good night_ ', retreating upstairs without sparing a second glance.

* * *

A/N: Hello! Long time, no see! Work and holidays have been grand, but it was time to update. :) Thank you to everyone who reviewed thus far!

Remember, I don't own the characters, but I like to insert them into other worlds for better (or worse).


	15. Chapter 15

Book II

Menydh

Mountain

Chapter XV

Festivities

"May your journey overflow with regrets and desires."

* * *

Kaoru's hair was pulled up into the neat braids that Megumi had skillfully fashioned for her, as she had done every year, and she had added a tasteful orange blossom to the crown of her head that had been pinned into place with an ensemble of holding pins that Megumi always seemed to have on her. She was dressed in the same skirt that she had tried on a few days prior, the sash neatly tucked around her hips and tied in the elegant yet practical knot. Megumi had also lightly powdered her face and glossed her lips with a natural salve that gave them a sweet sheen to them that was tasteful and not over done. She was the very image of a Northern beauty if there were such a definition and she herself felt oddly at ease in her skin, her hips rolling and fluttering the folds of the skirt.

Ro and Megumi were standing on either side of her, both of them dressed in their own festival wear, the traditional black shawls draped over their shoulders to fend off the cool air as they waited patiently for the sun to dip behind the mountain, marking the start of the festival. As tradition dictated, the women had been separated to one side of the village, the men to the other, so Kaoru knew that Sanosuke was guarding Kenshin like a hawk as he was able to keep an eye on the amnesiac red head who had donned the altered garments sheepishly and called a goodbye to Kaoru as Sanosuke shoved him out the door, saying he would take him for a quick drink before the festivities kicked off.

The women had broken the tradition of dolling up at Megumi's family home and had opted to get ready in Kaoru's home since she lived closest to the festivity grounds. They had tugged on their skirts, tucked in their shirts, and styled their hair as they slipped their feet into their espadrille, faces lightly made up and shuffled out of the house, their eagerness for the Solstice Festival to kick off overtaking them with giddiness and giggles that were oddly out of place to such solemn Northerners. They had linked arms as they had approached the area where the women were corralled into as they awaited the sunset, their bodies huddled together.

"Something tells me that this one is going to be a good one," Ro chirped as she squeezed Kaoru's arm and gave Megumi a warm smile. "This year feels a lot nicer compared to last year—we haven't had to have one drink to get into the mood of things, you know?" The blonde's comment extricated a smile to Megumi's serious face and Kaoru nodded as she tilted her head at the Southerner who seemed much more keen on wearing the skirts after Megumi had coerced her and bribed her with an elaborate hair style. Shunning the wide brimmed hat that was a mere extension of her body, Ro's hair was neatly folded into an elegant knot that rested at the nape of her neck, a white flower tucked into it precariously.

"We have many things to be happier about this year," Megumi said quietly as they shifted their weight from foot to foot in anticipation of the sunset. "You two, especially, have had a very good year—proving a lot of us wrong. You should be happy with your accomplishments—despite the fact you're both quite brutish." She gave another light smile as her eyes fell onto Kaoru's inquisitive stare. "And you, Kaoru, you see a lot happier compared to when I last saw you."

"She _is,_ " Ro insisted. "I think our red headed friend has had a big part in that."

"Without a doubt," Megumi agreed with a sage incline of her head, her sharp almond shaped eyes taking in Kaoru's face as the youngest woman gauged the other two's words, their meaning registering in her head.

"Oh, _stop,_ it's not like that and you two both know it," Kaoru protested as her cheeks flushed at the mention of Kenshin. She had been pleasantly surprised when he had knocked at her door earlier that day when she had been brushing out her hair in preparation for Megumi's crusade of festival hair styles and presented her with the very bright orange flower that was now tucked into her hair. He had given her one of his ever patient smiles as she accepted it graciously and looked up at him with wide eyes, he himself muttering something about how he thought she would like the flower and she nodded, unsure as to what to say. It was not the first kind gesture he had done for her in the months he occupied her and Sanosuke's home: he would often give her more rations, he would make sure that her laundry was hung and dried first, and he would always add tinder to the fire right before she got home so that the house was always warm for her. They were small gestures that she had not given thought to until she found herself gazing down at the beautiful orange flower that was larger than her two fists.

"Where on earth would he have gotten such a flower?" Megumi had asked as she inspected the stem to see how to best pin it to Kaoru's hair.

"Who cares? It's the thought that counts," Ro interjected briskly. "He could have asked Sanosuke to get it or he could have made it with magic—it doesn't make a difference in the world, does it?" She looked at Kaoru who was staring at her reflection in the looking glass with a firmly embarrassed look on her face. She had been unaware that such a lovely yet simple gift would have caused such a ruckus amongst the women.

"Besides the fact we don't know what he is or where he came from," Ro began as she gave Kaoru another teasing look, her bright blue eyes vivid with her playful Southern humour, "He's great for you—you've calmed down quite a bit since he's started living with you. Must be because his cooking is better." Kaoru's cheeks were as crimson as the sash tied at her waist and she was looking down at the tips of her espadrilles, fascinated by the meticulous stitching that held them together.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Megumi said firmly. "You're in your early twenties, you should be thinking about these sorts of things." Kaoru's head jerked up as she glowered at Megumi who was giving her a stern look. She had never considered the there was a hidden agenda to Megumi's words, especially having only met Kenshin a few days prior, but it was true that Kaoru was aging past her prime and despite Kaoru being indifferent to marriage and children, she knew that it was still a traditional value that Tereré pushed on its youth in the attempts to keep the village alive. Kaoru was never outwardly interested in forming her own family, she herself content with living a very platonic lifestyle and contenting herself with her own interests, but there were moments where even she found Kenshin looking at her with a certain expression that was unreadable to her.

"Megumi, he's not even human," Kaoru hissed to which Megumi shrugged and Ro gave her a thoughtful look. "He doesn't even remember who he is—I can hardly think about that when he's trying to figure out a lot of his own things."

"He looks pretty human and I'm _sure_ —"

"—Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence," Kaoru cut in as she gave Megumi a scathing look, her cheeks still a rosy red. "Besides, I could be saying the same about you and Sano: why aren't you thinking about having kids yourself?" Megumi crossed her arms defensively over her chest and muttered something about idiotic rooster-headed patrollers that took too many stupid risks and would worry her to death. Ro, the only one who had been married, was grinning impishly as the other two women seemed to be engaging in their usual play-banter and bickering that gave their relationship a completely different flavour.

"It's a conversation for another day," Kaoru said bluntly as she squeezed both their arms lightly. "Tonight I just want to have some fun—especially given that Enishi has something in store for us patrollers, which we know is going to be uncomfortable and horrid in many ways." Ro scrunched her face at the mention of the country's leader and Megumi's eyebrows furrowed as she, too, knew that the North would once again be forcibly aligned on the path that Central wished for them to take as opposed to the people's own will.

They whispered amongst themselves as the grounds for women slowly began to fill, the three of them gossiping wildly about what was happening in Central as well as the village, both sides filling each other in on the juicer details of certain villagers or certain figures. Kaoru found that Megumi's gossip tended to edge towards the raunchier aspects of trash talking but Ro clung to every word, her blonde head bobbing enthusiastically as she voiced her own opinion on certain prominent figures that originated from her plains-land.

Meanwhile on the other side of the division fence that would be pushed to the ground in the celebration of uniting the two groups, Kenshin and Sanosuke had decided to remain on the outer edge of the growing congregation of men, both of them sipping lightly from the small glass bottles that Sanosuke had fished from his sleeves. Kenshin found the drink to be pleasant, it warmed his insides significantly without overtaking his brain, and he and Sanosuke chattered quietly to themselves about vinzinhos as well as Sanosuke occasionally pointing out a village figure. Kenshin was also relieved to see that other men were hooded as well to fend off the chilly evening air and he did not stick out like a sore thumb amongst the villagers.

"I don't know how much the women have told you about this festival other than what Kaoru and I talked to you about," Sanosuke muttered as he took a drag on his bottle. "This is the festival where even the tamest of souls can get into trouble—celebrating human life and all—but there's a certain, _ah_ , magic to it that you don't get anywhere else."

"Magic?" Kenshin repeated as he glanced up at Sanosuke from beneath his white hood.

"Not in the literal sense," Sanosuke corrected himself. "It's the ambiance, I guess, it sort of makes you appreciate that life is not as shitty as we like to complain about. I mean, it _is_ , but it's one of the few occasions where we sort of forget about Central and their strangle-hold on us and really get back to our roots. This and Summer Solstice, but the winter one is a lot more fun."

"Why is that?"

"Winter means you need a warm bed," Sanosuke said crudely and Kenshin nearly choked on the alcohol at the forwardness of Sanosuke's words. "Human cycle, remember? Didn't Kaoru tell you about Tereré's history when she took you up to Mendiak?" Kenshin nodded slowly as his eyebrow arched suspiciously at Sanosuke's words. "Then you should know that children here are mostly born in mid-summer or early winter."

"T-that was not something that this one was aware of," Kenshin stammered and Sanosuke's grin widened.

"Think about it, those who are born in the summer solstice are usually conceived right around this time," Sanosuke said with a glint to his eye. "The children born in summer always seem to be the the most animated ones—hell, _even_ Kaoru is a summer baby—if you look at the sun calendars from her birth year, the Winter Solstice festivities fell earlier. She was born in the sixth month, so she was born into an early summer." Sanosuke dug his toes into the ground as he looked down at Kenshin who was eying him with a bizarre look on his face.

"Anyways, what was I saying? Oh, right, yeah, the Solstice festivals are known for that sort of thing and we all sort of know what people get up to when kids start showing up later," Sanosuke drawled as he gave Kenshin a neutral stare. "Which leads me to my next point—what exactly is your relationship with Missy? You two don't exactly, erm, define a normal relationship." Kenshin's eyebrows fell back down into their resting position as he stared ahead at the crowd of men that was growing larger and larger, he himself feeling even more bizarrely foreign than he already did at any given moment.

"This one carries a great debt with Ms. Kaoru, that I do," He replied. "She has shown nothing but kindness to this one. There is, perhaps, no conventional definition to our relationship—at least in a human language," He added quickly as Sanosuke took another swig of his booze, listening to Kenshin intently. "There is something that draws this one to her presence that cannot be explained. This one is very fortunately to have met Ms. Kaoru upon reawakening in this world." His violet eyes were gentle and sincere to the point that Sanosuke found it painstakingly sickening how truthful the red head was and he gave a sigh of mild defeat.

"You say that there isn't a word in human language to describe what you feel for her, but you do a lot of things that give us who know you two some weird connotations," Sanosuke said in a dark tone. "If you do anything that hurts her, I will see to you myself—Kaoru has already dealt with enough in this lifetime and does not need anything else to cause her more misery." Sanosuke's grip on the bottle was extremely tight and Kenshin heard the glass starting to crack under the pressure of the patroller's grip. "I've been watching over her for the last few years and she's a lot happier because of you—which we appreciate. Don't take that away from her."

"This one would never hurt intentionally," Kenshin said in a low voice as he met Sanosuke's gaze and was able to pick out the brotherly-love that the taller man held towards the patroller. There was a protective spark to Sanosuke's existence and while the patroller had eyes for the foxy-doctor-in-training and never pursued Kaoru, he knew that their relationship was still mutually dependent given that their vocational choice as well as their environment required them to be so. He had no singular doubt in his mind that Sanosuke would be willing to toe a very dangerous line for Kaoru and vice-versa, something he respected in the humans that he had been co-existing with for the last few months.

"Good to know," Sanosuke said dryly as he rested a massive hand on Kenshin's shoulder. "She, despite her faults, is probably one of the few reasons that I still get up in the morning—she's been nothing but a good companion and friend. If anything were to happen to her, it would hurt a lot of people." Kenshin nodded hesitantly as he realized that Sanosuke was hinting at how anything from the other world or this human world would suffer a merciless ending if they were to even so much as lay a finger on Kaoru.

"Ms. Kaoru is quite unique amongst humans," Kenshin said absently. "Well, amongst those that I know," Sanosuke gave him an unimpressed look at the mention of his faulty memory but sighed, unsure as to how to even process that sort of comment from the red-head. Sanosuke knew that Kaoru had softened her often hardy external being given that Kenshin had been slowly whittling away at it with his patience and gentle ministrations, and the rooster-haired patroller could see how Kaoru's mood tended to be much lighter and less solemn as they spent time together. He knew that the two of them would take those night-strolls, or that they would sit together in their comfortable silence and just enjoy each other's company: it reminded him of an old wedded couple.

"Yes, well, enjoy the festival with her and let your hair down, hell knows that we deserve to," Sanosuke said abruptly as he shook his empty bottle before pocketing it and crossing his arms. His head was turned towards the mountain where the sun was about to vanish behind the massive presence that seemed to loom over the village. "It's almost time that we get started by the looks of things."

"As soon as the sun vanishes," Kenshin said quietly as he, too, trained his gazed onto the sunset that was not brilliant or memorable and it was truly just a darkening of the sky. If he squinted and focused enough beyond the clouds, he could make out a faint light that seemed to want to break through the clouds but was losing badly against the thickness of the ever-present clouds that seemed to govern the city's climate.

"The sun will vanish and one of the elders will do the chant or whatever it's called," Sanosuke explained in a low voice as to avoid attracting attention to the presence of the sole foreigner in the mass of Tereré and Northern natives. "Once the chant finishes, the wall will come down and the festivities will begin—so get ready." Sanosuke's grin was infectious at the thought of having the one-of-two nights to be able to truly enjoy the Northern spirit that seemed to have been sweeping through the villages as the houses were decorated in native winter flora and people were singing and being merrier than normal. He had felt even the joy on the breeze and even the forest had quieted its shrieks into whimpers, seemingly able to pick up on the humans' shift in emotions in anticipation for their festival.

"Sanosuke, this one has a question," Kenshin spoke quietly. "Regarding Ms. Kaoru."

"Ask away, although I might not be able to answer," Sanosuke answered as he looked down at Kenshin's hooded form.

"What happened to Ms. Kaoru's father?" Sanosuke stiffened at the question, expecting something complete different to come from Kenshin's ever inquisitive mind. The rooster-headed patroller gave a heavy sigh as he gave Kenshin a probing look that transmitted his own question as to why the red head would even want to have such information. "She has spoken of him briefly, that she has, but she seems to carry great sadness regarding him."

"What has she told you?"

"That Ms. Kaoru feels connected to her Father through the forest," Kenshin replied truthfully.

"Ah, yes, well—you did not hear this from me at all, got it? Missy'll kill me if she finds out." Sanosuke's tone was one of dire warning to which Kenshin replied with a firm nod in acknowledgement. "A few years ago, when she was about sixteen or seventeen, her Father was sent into the forest with an expedition team and never came back. Central has never given her any information regarding his disappearance but the only thing that we are aware of is that he is not considered 'dead' by the government.

"Kaoru has spoken to the Delegation various times trying to demand information from them or to at least speak to the proper authorities to get something, but they've always denied her at every turn," Sanosuke continued as his voice darkened at the mere mention of Central's resistance to answering her enquiries. "Without a declaration of death or any sort of official word from the government, he is just presumed as missing. We understand it as he is dead though—her father knew the forest well and knew how to return to the village. I've never said anything to her, but I think he was killed by a vizinho and Central tried to cover it up. Her father, after all, was quite esteemed in the village.

"She does not speak of it because there is nothing concretely to speak of, I suppose, but even then she will not crack if you ask about what he was like or what she thinks happened," Sanosuke said with another halting sigh. "The Missy does not even have a grave to go to on the anniversary of when her father vanished—she truly has nothing to fall back on. A lot of her hatred for the government goes to the fact that they conceal information from citizens."

"Is this the motive as to why Ms. Kaoru joined the patrolling division?"

"That's really for her to tell you, but what I can say is it does play a significant part," Sanosuke replied stoically. "I will say this though—since you've come into the picture, Kaoru looks and seems a lot happier than before. When we first starting living together, she always looked sad or was off in her own world. Me and Megumi were talking and we both think that you've had a big influence on her change in personality; Megumi having known her longer." Kenshin was quiet as he took in Sanosuke's words of mere observation and he looked down at the ground momentarily as he, too, realized that Kaoru's harsher side had softened and melted significantly and she was much more animated and warmer than before.

"Whatever you're doing, keep doing it," Sanosuke said gruffly but was cut off as the crowd started to stir as the sun finally dipped behind the mountain, loud cheers and shouts of joy ripping through the men of the village as the sounds of bottles opening and corks uncapping seemed to penetrate the scene. Kenshin found his eyebrows arching as he swivelled his head to regard the mountain and then a presence that was lingering closer to the wall. The cheers and murmuring in the crowd suddenly died away as they faded into nothingness, all eyes trained towards the figure of the elderly Tereré resident being escorted up to a large platform that was elevated above the wall, allowing both men and women to see and observe her.

As she was centred on stage, the village fell into an organic silence that was deafening even to Kenshin who even felt the forest retreat into quietness as though it were awaiting the elder's chant. A much younger child made his way up onto the platform and was touting a simple drum that seemed comically too big for him. He was dressed in a bright cloak that was riddled with the geometric patterns that all the residents seemed to be sporting and he stood next to the woman, holding the drum outwards. He raised his other hand and hit the palm firmly against the animal skin surface, the drum thudding and vibrating as the villagers stilled.

 _I'm the messenger,_ She began her chant and Kenshin felt his attention on the elder woman amplify as he watched her frail body produce such a booming voice. She must have been nearing the end of her life, as she seemed to been nearly blind because of cataracts and her aura reeked of the beginning odours of human mortality. Kenshin, however, was enthralled by her voice as he felt something swirling deeply within his core, an almost pure animalistic instinct that reacted to her voice and her words as the drum was hit again, matching the pressure rising within him.

 _I'm the troubadour,_ Kaoru closed her eyes as she took in the familiar words that were only uttered once a year, she herself being transported back to the past winter festivals that were marred with sadness, happiness, or a wash of both. She felt the words resound deeply within her healing soul as the pains of her life seemed to be being gently erased away as time wore on. She felt Megumi's gentle squeeze on her arm and she knew that the doctor-to-be was in a semi-similar state as she, too, had felt the edges of her pain and her suffering erode away.

 _The Solstice Festival takes away my pains_ , Kenshin's mind became alive in an explosion of colours, sensations, and blurred images as the elder's chant continued. He shivered beneath the cloak, her words seeming to conduct how his body reacted heavily to the chant. He could feel the tide of unbridled emotion sweep from one side to the other of his conscious, the Earth and the humans' feelings, sentiments, joys, pains, sorrows, and happiness causing a tsunami of colour to overtake his existence momentarily as it crashed down on him in a violent wave that made him understand more than anything that even the vast majority lamented how the world had turned on its head.

 _Such as the ones from my heart,_ her voice lingered on the last note as the crowd's energy spurted and the cheers erupted once more as her voice died out, the wall suddenly collapsing by an unseen mechanism that was triggered. All the men and women whooped and gushed forward as their separation from each other was ended and they melded together in a sea of bright skirts, white cloaks, booze, and merry-making as the roar of several drums and music burst out of nowhere, everyone quickly falling into formation and finding their first partner, opening the night of the Winter Solstice under the watchful eye of Enishi and Kanryuu but not casting an iota of attention to the very men who destroyed their village.

Kenshin found himself swept up in the chaos but a gentle hand tugged at him, Ro's blonde hair cluing him in to who it was, as she guided him towards the cluster of friends. He himself found himself smiling as he immediately spotted Kaoru and Megumi already working their way through the first dance, a simple one, their skirts flying up and their arms moving in timed gracefulness as Sanosuke watched them with his own half grin. He soon found himself imitating the movements as Ro invited him to dance, him managing to understand the movement after a few tries much to Kaoru and Megumi's amusement. He found that Kaoru was right when she had extolled about losing yourself to the dance and the music's rhythm—every preoccupation seemed to take a back seat at the moment as the music and ambiance lit a kindling fire under his feet.

* * *

"Is that the one?" Kanryuu inquired as he sipped on the light spirit that had been shoved into his hand by one of Enishi's assistants. The two were in the tower that staggered above the village as they peered down and watched the festivities below them. Enishi was mildly impressed that such a crude festivity was active as an entire spectrum of colours danced below them, skirts blossoming and hands and feet moving each and every way as the music picked up.

"The one in the hooked cloak, next to the tall one," Enishi confirmed as he peered over the rims of his glasses. "Without a doubt—I can sense it from here." Kanyruu gave him a dulled look but did not say anything. He knew that the tall man was one of the top patrollers in the village and that the blonde female was a foreigner that had immigrated from the Southern plains. He picked up on the dark hair with an orange flower crowning her height and realized that, that was the other female patroller whose name often came up in paperwork regarding her complaints and requests for information regarding her father.

"If he's the Vestige, he's quite scrawny," Kanryuu remarked dryly. "I've never seen him here before."

"Looks are deceptive, you of all people should know that," Enishi retorted. "The Vestige houses power beyond our imagination—after all, he is the one that bridges the other world and humanity together." He took another delicate sip of the alcohol and grimaced at the sweetness that hit the back of his throat. "Hard to believe that he was hiding up North this entire time, considering the legends report him as being a child born into an Eastern peasant family. The documentation has been lost, of course, so it is impossible to verify the legitimacy of the legend, but it still stands that the North is not hospitable."

"It also confirms my suspicion that those two women knew something about his presence in the village judging by how familiar they are with him," Kanyruu added as he reached for a cigarette and pressed it between his lips. "They'll be tried and found guilty in any court for withholding such crucial specimens. Our justice system is swift in their verdicts." Enishi gave him a mild look of annoyance but said something as he watched as the blonde woman and the tall patroller began to dance together and the other three watched, bemused by the lanky movements of the rooster-headed man's body.

"I see little merit in trying to use judicial punishment when we have the information we require," Enishi spoke as he watched the woman he knew had taken the train from Central and the other female patroller begin their own interpretation of the dance. "That is a waste of time and resources."

"I disagree given that they have committed treason against the village for not reporting of something from the other world as well as apparently harbouring him within our jurisdiction," Kanyruu said as he gave his superior an unimpressed look. "If we do not make them suffer for their consequences, what is to stop them from attempting it again?"

"I remain by my stance that there is little merit in passing them through the courts," Enishi repeated. "My objective was to locate the Vestige and it has been met. Your love of abusing the justice system is remarkable as always, Kanryuu." The other man gave a careless shrug as he lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply, the smoke billowing about them lazily. "We will capture him tonight."

"During the festival?" Kanyruu questioned. "A full out assault by your brigade is surely going to leave a few casualties in its wake—your love of full out military tactics is remarkable as always." Enishi gave him a pointed look at the mockery Kanryuu was making of him but gave him a tight-lipped smile as he adjusted his robes over his frame. "Tereré has always hated Central and they don't particularly have any love for you—you're just going to throw oil onto an already agitated fire."

"Their affections are useless as long as they continue to provide Central with what it needs," Enishi said firmly. "I will of course try to minimize the casualties this evening but I will not allow the Vestige to escape. He is vital to the survival of this country." Kanryuu rolled his eyes lightly through the cigarette smoke as he gave the leader a bored look.

"The speech that you gave yesterday in that case?"

"Every word of it is true but there are some truths that had to be omitted in the interesting of maintaining public order amongst such uncivilized individuals," Enishi said smoothly as he gestured for a guard to approach them from within the shadowy tower. The guard leaned in as Enishi mumbled something to him which was rewarded with a snappy salute as the guard vanished into the tower and descended below.

"There are eyes everywhere, Kanryuu, and we cannot allow ourselves to lose this opportunity to elevate our status even more," He said as he finished what remained of the drink before placing the delicate cup on the edge of the balcony. "Humanity is at stake and we are truly suffering in sheer numbers. There aren't as many children being born and there aren't enough of us to defend what is ours. We need an alternative and we have it; the Vestige's power will suffice." Kanryuu puffed on his cigarette deeply as he balanced it, rolling it from one side of his lips to the other.

"You know there's activity in the West," Kanryuu finally spoke.

"Of course, because I stirred it up," Enishi replied solemnly. "The West has always been much more complacent in their dealings with us. When you take away basic necessities, civilization then becomes three meals away from rebellion. By bargaining with what they require, you can prolong their cooperation easily. I needed the Western vinzinhos to be driven North to suss out the Vestige. He is surely aware that there is odd and atypical activity in the air—despite being hidden away."

"Of course," Kanyruu agreed easily as he watched the lines of dancers exchange partners below them. "It's a shame it's come to this, really. It's hardly agreeable with the image of benevolence that you're so fond of." Enishi was silent as he looked beyond the crowds and stared off into the mountain's shape as he found himself lost within his own tangle of thoughts. The leader was shrewd as he was wise and ruthless and he required rare tools to be able to execute the plan he had formulated to protect humanity from being erased from the planet.

"It's merely a complement to this entire scenario," He said. "The North will have to suffer for the collective. I have assurance that the other three Cardinal Civilizations will not betray us despite whatever occurs this evening. Ensuring that all the pieces are positioned correctly has been time consuming but it will be most beneficial."

"Outstanding," Kanyruu said as he snubbed his cigarette into the railing of the balcony. "My grace, you should be far away from whatever is about to happen in that case." Enishi waved away his concern as he turned his eyes back down to the ground that was a field of flourishing youth and blooming colours that were uncharacteristic of the cold North.

"I prefer to preside over the first act as a spectator," He said cooly.

"Whatever you prefer," Kanyruu said dismissively with a shrug as he crossed his arms and took a step back to lean against the rocky exterior of the tower. He knew that Enishi was skilled and astute when it came to tactics and planning and was someone who preferred to witness the fruits of his labour in action. As he stared at the elegant robes of his superior, Kanyruu found himself questioning if he himself would be as ruthless and cruel with human life even if it meant achieving the greatest success that was prized to humanity's sake and reason for existence.

"Under the cover of darkness anything is possible," Enishi said resolutely as he crossed his arms. "You've done well, Kanryuu, I applaud your efforts for quelling the possibility of a rebellious people turning on you. Central will pay you kindly for your services." Kanryuu was silent as he accepted his leader's words with grace, bowing his head in acknowledgement.

Kanryuu than realised he had the answer to the very question he posed to himself: as cruel as he himself was, he was not one to elevate himself to the disconnected empathy that Enishi had achieved as a leader.

Enishi was truly a leader who had the emotional intelligence of the very machines that he used to subdue his people. There was a dangerously icy charisma that would allow him to sway even the most hardened of politicians as he skillfully swept through the political scene with little regard for whose toes he stepped on or for who was to be eliminated from his path. His prejudices were set, his goals were fixed, and his resolve was unwavering as he ruled the country with an iron fist, his intelligence and wit at the helm of a risky ship that was doomed to sink.

 _Remarkable,_ Kanryuu thought to himself.

* * *

After a few hours of dancing and light drinking, Kenshin found himself alone with Megumi and Sanosuke as Ro and Kaoru had run back off to join in for the last dances. They had tottered away, the alcohol already having a mild grip on them, but they had sworn to each other to be the permanent dance partners to fend off any unwanted attention. Kaoru had danced with everyone except Kenshin, barring the dance the five had joined in a circular motion of twists and turns, and then he had watched as she had danced with what she assumed were fellow patrollers or villagers that she knew. As each dance ended, he felt a slight pang of jealously towards Kaoru's partner being on the receiving end and he had nearly stepped in when one of the dances required fairly close body contact as the handsome villager had rested his hand on Kaoru's hip as she twirled around in a cascade of colour and laughter.

"So, what do you think?" Megumi asked as she leaned in to speak to the hooded form of Kenshin, she herself slightly flushed. "Not the same as everyday Tereré, is it?"

"Not at all," He agreed pleasantly. "This one finds the festival to be quite enjoyable." Sanosuke grinned as he took another chug on a bottle that he had procured from somewhere best left unknown to the ground and he gave Kenshin a knowing look.

"And you're the lucky bastard that gets the last dance with Kaoru, if I had to put money on it," Sanosuke chortled. "Like I said, this is where things start to get interesting in the festival—as you can see." Kenshin looked back at the rooster-headed patroller who had mentioned to him that the couples who did not wait had long since abandoned the festival in the pursuit of other activities. It was true that there were less people but it was hardly noticeable as most of the villagers seemed happy in their socializing, drinking, and dancing as the music continued to resound through the night. Kenshin was unsure as to how much time had passed but he had found that dancing with Ro, Megumi, and a few of the children that had approached him curiously had been enjoyable and made the time seem to fly by quickly.

"Ro and Kaoru sure know how to enjoy themselves," Megumi said dryly as she pointed to the fluttering orange/red and blue skirts of the two women that were now circling each other, their hands poised in a position. "Raise your hand, pick the apple, and toss the apple—such a crude dance… fitting though." She gave a chuckle as she watched as they dipped their arms down, stomping their feet in a certain pattern to the music that their ears heard. Kaoru seemed to be dancing the male role as she took a few steps back and clapped as Ro flexed her hands, her feet tapping out the four steps before they began to circle each other, closer and closer together. Kenshin found the interaction intriguing as they seemed to naturally complement each other and he was able to comprehend why they worked together so well while patrolling.

"That's usually the penultimate dance, get ready," Sanosuke warned as he took another swig of alcohol as he looked over at Megumi who was eying him as well. Kenshin looked away from them as he focused on the form of Kaoru as she clapped her hands lightly at Ro who seemed to be fanning the air away with her hands as they turned away from each other before whirling back. Kaoru's body was moving with elegance and grace that was not seen in her everyday gait and he found himself fascinated by how her hips twisted and her well built form could slip between the rough exterior of a patroller and the grace of a dancer that moved effortlessly with her partner. As they rounded off their dance with the final eight steps, he watched as they threw their hands into the air and laughed to themselves brightly.

"Ro, Kaoru!" Sanosuke called as he waved them over, the two women breaking away from the bigger group as they sauntered up in the flurry of coloured skirts. Kaoru was flushed and pink in the cheeks as she grinned at Sanosuke and Kenshin whilst Ro reached for a half-filled bottle that she had asked Megumi to put aside for her, downing the drink quickly and wiping her chin sloppily. Megumi began to chastise the blonde who was gurgling and giggling merrily as she batted Megumi's hand away, telling her and Sanosuke to get ready to dance the last dance of the evening as the music died down momentarily. The blonde gave Kaoru and Kenshin a waggle of her eyebrows as she gestured for them to get closer to the mob of people that were forming two lines and the two exchanged bashful glances before relenting as the blonde cheered them on, taking another pull of alcohol.

"This one does not know the dance," Kenshin reminded Kaoru who gave him a shrug as she smiled at him brightly.

"Just sort of follow what everyone else is doing, that's how we all learned," She replied as he nodded uncertainly at her, allowing her to take his hand and drag him towards where the musicians had gathered to play the last song of the night before the village would return to its industrial and bitter atmosphere. Kenshin stared at Kaoru's back, the orange flower bright against her dark hair, and he studied her form in the traditional dress and found her ravishing as her hips swung side to side and her back muscles rippled beneath the shawl that was draped around her shoulders loosely.

As they drew up to the crowd, they spotted Sanosuke and Megumi already positioned next to each other, shoulders touching and they placed themselves next to the other pair. Sanosuke had his right hand resting on Megumi's hip and his left hand and her right hand were joined together and held out in front of them. Kenshin started slightly when he felt Kaoru rest her left hand on his lower back but he realized that she was simply following the steps of the dance. He hesitantly took her right hand in his left one and rested his right one on her hip just as Sanosuke was doing and Kaoru nodded at him as she shifted from foot to foot, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

The drums began to beat out a rhythm that was multiplied as other drummers began to hit their own in sync with the first one, a rolling beat that Kaoru seemed to be marking under her breath as she gently nudged Kenshin to take a step to the right, bending slightly as she guided him to the point he took over as he understood the rhythm and slowly moved them to the left. He lifted their hands as he spun her around, her skirts flying through the air gracefully in a flash of rich coloured fabric, and he reversed the spin, intercepting her as they moved to the right and to the left again, their legs crossing and intertwining without ever tripping over each other.

 _She's truly lovely,_ a feminine voice whispered in his ear heartily with a giggle as Kenshin reached to spin her around again in the other direction as she gracefully tottered away and then back towards him. He reached for her waist with both hands, sweeping her off the ground as he spun them in a neat half-circle, she herself planting her feet on the ground as she joined their hands again.

 _This girl is someone who takes away your agony_ , the voice continued as they repeated the same motion in the contrary direction. Kenshin watched as Kaoru landed neatly next to him after he guided her through the air and they released their hands, raising them above their heads at a slanted angle as they moved them in a half circle, rejoining their hands together as he spun her gently, their feet moving with what seemed to be an ancient practice that came naturally.

 _This girl is someone who can heal you,_ the voice groaned as they released their hands as Kaoru stepped to the right and he stepped to the left, their bodies angling away from each other as they caught each other's gazes. Kenshin could see her bright blue eyes, alert and shimmering, a wide smile adorning her face as her hair loosened from the braids. They switched positions as she moved towards the left and him towards the right, their paths crossing momentarily as they reached out and married their hands together once more, much closer as her hips bumped into his. He reined her in tightly, one of his hands resting on her hip momentarily as she leaned against him gently.

 _You should protect this innocence with everything that you can, make sure that she can belong to no one else,_ The voice continued to croon into his ear. His other hand rested on her hip as he watched the other men pick up their partners and turned in a full circle, her skirt fluttering around them as the rest of the audience seemed to melt away into nothingness as they came together, hands joining and spun away from each other before standing side to side. Their arms interlocked, his right hand swung over her shoulders and her left arm over his, as they swung their hips to the right and switched to the left. Their bodies were closely pressed together as they repeated the motion again, their steps growing faster as the tempo picked up from the beating of the drums and the other instruments that had been thrown into the mix.

 _The last dance is a type of dance native only to the North and it's a dance that is dedicated to the other side_ , Kaoru's voice resounded in his head, pushing out the other unknown female one. He had been baffled by her words and how a dance could be dedicated to something that was clearly taught to them to be their enemy. However, as they moved through the spins and the twirls, legs moving together as their souls overlapped, he could somehow understand what she referred to as he felt an immense warmth spreading through him as they joined hands again. That same warmth was like the sun that they never saw: it was a gentle recognition of the closeness of humanity with the other side and what had been a mutual respect as each party moved together. The colours and the movements were simple yet they were impactful as he saw vivid shades of reds, golds, and yellows that melded with beautiful hues of greens, blues, and indigos that formed a different understanding of the landscape that both groups occupied. He did not see fabrics but rather fields of wild flowers that billowed and rolled like the great waves of oceans that he knew he had once seen but could not recall.

As the song continued to play, Kaoru and Ro's warning that it was a lengthy dance, the couples slowly peeled away from the group as they slipped into the darkness to celebrate the more intimate parts of the Solstice away from the prying eyes of the others. Kaoru spun around once more and as Kenshin intercepted her, he grasped her hand gently and tugged her away from the group, much to her surprise as the look of mild shock registered on her face but she relented as he gently ferried her away from the group of dancers that were still performing the famed dance.

* * *

They came to rest at the base of the forest, barely standing toe to toe with the invisible boundary that seemed to be respected by humans and tolerated by the other worldly creatures. Kaoru's chest was heaving as she caught her breath, leaning against a tree as she huffed and puffed various times as the wind returned to her lungs. Kenshin had removed the hood of his cloak, happy to have freed himself from its confines, and he let it hit his back as he observed Kaoru passively, waiting for her to calm her racing heart that he could hear beating.

"Is everything okay?" She inquired as she brushed a strand of loose hair from her face.

"Yes," He answered simply as he closed the distance between them. There was a cacophony of voices in his head and he heard the female voice trying to desperately drown out the sounds of the forest that seemed incapable of calming their hysterics. As Kenshin approached Kaoru, she straightened her posture as she regarded him with wide blue eyes that seemed to mirror the sky. "This one is quite alright. And Ms. Kaoru?" She nodded as she watched him reach out and take her hands in his own, his thumbs brushing over her knuckles.

"Yes, I'm fine, a bit tired," She admitted as she felt a shiver run up her spine at the gentle brushing of his thumbs on her knuckles. It was a very thoughtful gesture and fairly intimate in a strange way as he continued to do it, his eyes never moving from her face. "Did you have fun?"

"This one enjoyed it, that I did," He replied dutifully as he freed one of his hands from hers and rested it gently on her shoulder. "This one greatly appreciates Ms. Kaoru and sharing the last dance with this one." Her cheeks were tinged a bright pink at his words and she was unsure as to what to say as she felt her embarrassment take over her brain and she struggled to conjure the proper words she wanted to say. His violet gaze was soft and docile yet there was something underneath the unassuming gaze that reminded her of something much more predatory and animalistic.

"I'm glad," She responded and watched as his hand drifted from her shoulder to cup her cheek gently, the rune markings a stark contrast against his alabaster skin. She felt herself leaning into his warmth as he continued to regard her with those eyes that fascinated her so. "It's a special evening for us after all." Kenshin nodded as he traced the pads of his fingers over the gentle angles of her cheeks and he found his fingers resting beneath her chin as he tilted her head up gently, they themselves losing each other within the mortal plain that they stood on.

"Ms. Kaoru—"

"—Kenshin, _I_ —" They both had begun to speak at the same time and their cheeks were noticeably redder as they cut themselves off to let the other speak. Kenshin's gaze was unreadable as his eyes cast down to her lips as though contemplating something that she had thought to be unthinkable for someone like him. There was a certain innocence that had caved way to something much more primitive and it was a uniting factor that closed the distance between humans and those of the other world. He drew closer to her face and she was unmoving as she felt her feet plant firmly to the ground, rooted in a moment that seemed to be washed away with the gentle ebbing of time.

She had not expected the softness of his mouth against hers to ignite something that unfurled from within her belly. There was a warmth to the gentle sensation that seemed to originate from beyond her understanding of what intimacy was and she felt her hands clutching at the fabric of his cloak, grounding her before she felt her spirit soar away. There was an overwhelming sense of safety and protectiveness that seeped through her carefully constructed barriers and seemed to curl up against her very essence as she relented against him, allowing his ministrations to advance. Kaoru whimpered in her throat and his hand slid down her back and cradled her delicate frame to his.

Kaoru felt him take a step that guided them towards a tree as he refused to relinquish his tentative yet adoring hold on her as he tried to transmit the conflict of emotions that swelled within his existence to her. Kenshin wanted her to understand that he cherished her, much more than any mortal man could, and he wanted to throw himself to her feet and beg that she forgive him for his departure that he knew would rupture her heart and throw her world into chaos. He wanted her to understand that he would never forgive himself for hurting her this way and he wished desperately that the pull of fate was something he could ignore and cast aside. He felt how her body gave way to his and he desired nothing more to bind himself to her and throw fate to the wind: he wanted to watch over her as a silent guardian and he wanted her to abandon her chosen profession for her own sake despite his own qualms about it.

As they drew away for oxygen, Kaoru's face redder than the sash cinched at her waist, she stared into his face as though trying to gauge his reaction, her fingers refusing to release his cloak as though she feared she would fall off the edge of the Earth. Kenshin's face was tinged pink as he held her to him gingerly, afraid that if she were to free herself from his grasp, she would fly away on the breeze and vanish from his sight.

"Do you mind explai—" Her voice was not hostile but it was full of awe but she was cut off by the sound of a ripping explosion that originated from the very place they had abandoned mere minutes before. Whirling her head around as she struggled against his grip, Kaoru's blue eyes widened as the tell-tale signs of a fire painted the sky a bright red and orange and she pried herself away from Kenshin, whose own expression darkened as his eyes narrowed as the forest roared to life in his head and began to shriek once more.

Before he had a chance to reach out and snag Kaoru's wrist, she had broke away from him and began a loping gait back towards her village, casting a look back at him as she shouted at him to hide. Kenshin opened his mouth to protest but she was out of ear shot as she zipped between the trees and vanished on the path towards the industrial Tereré. Instead of heeding her word and knowing perfectly the danger he was able to enter, he pushed himself off and pursued the young patroller back towards the village, his own mind spurring him on faster and faster.

 _And so it begins,_ the female voice in his head sighed.

* * *

A/N: And so it begins! :D

A few notes:

The dance scene is inspired by the 'Argentum' program that was performed for the G-20 in November of 2018 in Buenos Aires. There is a specific dance, in the fourth part called 'North', that gave the idea. The type of music is called 'carnavalito' and it's a typical dance that's performed in Bolivia, Argentina, and other regions. It's often described as happy and loose, the dance being very invigorating and playful.


	16. Chapter 16

Book II

Menydh

Mountain

Chapter XVI

Blur

"May your journey overflow with greetings and departures."

* * *

"Kaoru?" Megumi's voice was faint and distant as Kaoru felt a cool hand pressed against her forehead and another holding her wrist, sussing out the weak pulse that was bumping beneath her pale skin. She knew that she was lying down, probably in her own bed if the recognition of the familiar quilt was to be taken into consideration, and she felt as though she had been hit with a massive amount of force that had knocked her out.

"Missy, you hear me?" Sanosuke's voice was equally far-off as Megumi's but it was reassuring that the older patroller was still in their home. He sounded exhausted and there was something off about his breathing, as though something had been strained in his throat, and he wheezed heavily as he coughed. She could hear Megumi's chiding of the rooster-headed man and he retreated, his footsteps much slower and more hesitant than normal. She could also hear the scraping of something against the wooden floor of her room and it she assumed it was some sort of cane that Sanosuke was leaning against.

"Your fever is almost gone, that's at least _one_ less thing to worry about," Megumi muttered as she removed her hand from Kaoru's forehead. She heard the doctor-in-training shuffle around her medical kit and her hands bumped against tiny glass vials. Kaoru could imagine that the vulpine woman was searching for some sort of herb or balm and she could hear the muttering of Megumi's voice in the darkness that was surrounding her.

"M-Megumi?" Her voice was harsh and hoarse as she felt as though it had been coated in a layer of sandpaper. Her vocal cords were scratchy and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth unpleasantly. Her body was tired and she felt the familiar tell-tale signs of being bound by tightly wound bandages around her abdomen. There was more bandaging around her left leg and she winced as the supple flesh hinted at a nasty gash that had been stitched up. Her back was sore and smarted considerably around her shoulders and her head was pounding severely to the point it was nearly debilitating.

"Kaoru, so you are awake," Megumi murmured as she abandoned her medical kit to examine her friend's face. "Don't speak—you're still really banged up. You've been asleep for two days and you nearly perished from your wounds." Kaoru was stilled at those harsh words and she pursed her lips together in silence as the darkness in her mind seemed to darken even more. She wanted desperately to wiggle her toes and count her fingers but Megumi's watchful eye would not allow her to do so. She felt the quilt slide down her torso and the cool air of her home felt different to her as though the house had lost the warmth that it had accumulated since—

"—K-Ken-s-shin?" Kaoru stammered and Megumi sucked in air viciously as she rested her hands on her lap, balling them together to the point they were pale white. The doctor was debating the merits of telling her what had happened but Kaoru's fragile state was much too precarious and anything could trigger unwanted stress and trauma, prolonging her already difficult healing process that Megumi foresaw as taking months to recover.

"We can speak of that when you're feeling better," Megumi said stiffly as she tried to mask the uncertainty in her voice. "For now, just rest before you re-open your wounds or rip your stitches." Kaoru grunted in response but relented to the fox-woman's warning and she shifted into a slightly more comfortable position that allowed her pained body to ease some of the built up tension. She felt and looked pathetic: Kaoru had, had her fair share of injuries but they had never rendered her completely useless or unable to hobble around. There was an invisible weight that rested heavily on her chest as though it were forcing her to remain lying down and even fighting it would cause more problems to her already dangerously delicate state.

"I'm just going to go change out this water, don't you dare move," Megumi warned and Kaoru heard the metallic tub being lifted from the ground, Megumi's nails clinking against the thick steel. It was a hefty object that required strength to lift and she could pick out how Megumi tottered slightly to the side, surprised by its weight, and she exited Kaoru's room, plodding down the stairs in a very ungraceful way.

Megumi found Sanosuke waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, his brown eyes alert and unimpressed with the doctor's shutdown at Kaoru's inquiry as to Kenshin's whereabouts. The rooster-haired patroller refused to step to the side as he reached out and grasped at Megumi's arm, rasping the words, "Why won't you tell her?"

"In her current state, if I told her that Kenshin is not to be found, it could have negative repercussions and I am not willing to sacrifice the sliver of stability that we have managed to obtain considering she was on death's doorstep," Megumi hissed as she glared back at the taller male. "It will break her heart into thousands of pieces and I refuse to let that happen."

"She's going to find out eventually, the Missy is a smart one and she's too damned perceptive for her own good," Sanosuke growled as he released Megumi's sleeve with a disdainful look.

" _I know that_ ," Megumi snapped in a low voice, rebalancing herself under the weight of the metallic tub. "Now just isn't the time, Sanosuke." Her almond shaped eyes were sharp as they held a strict glimmer to them that hinted at the fact that she was not going to negotiate with him. Megumi was famed for her wit and stubborn streak, but she prioritized a patient before anything and Sanosuke knew that his interference and telling the cruel truth would have more negative consequences.

"That damned bastard, he even gave me his word as a man that he wouldn't do anything to hurt Kaoru," Sanosuke snarled from between clenched teeth, his grip on his cane tightening and Megumi winced at the sound of snapping wood. "I'll kill him—that fucking bastard. He promised—I even told him about her father and the pain she goes through." Megumi shifted the tub to her hip carefully as to not drop it and she watched as the carefully wound layers of control slowly gave way to the much more savage side of Sanosuke that rarely made an appearance these days.

"Sanosuke, given the circumstances and from what we saw, you are unlikely to kill him," Megumi said flatly. Sanosuke froze at that and his nostrils flared at the realization that the doctor was probably right and he knew that after what he had witnessed two days prior he would be fighting with great disadvantages snapping at his ankles.

"If you're going to raise a ruckus, come and help me clean this tub and we can talk this over properly like normal adults," Megumi chided him with an arched eyebrow. Sanosuke grunted at her words but moved aside as he allowed Megumi to take the last two stairs, the tub bumping against the wall. He trailed after her figure and leaned against the counter as Megumi hefted the metal tub into the sink, tipping it so that the bloodied water swirled down the rusty drain, staining the sink a mild pink that would require a thorough scrubbing and rinsing later.

* * *

"What the _hell_ is that?" Ro grunted as she looked around the perimeter, the music stopping suddenly and the last lingering dancers breaking away from their partners as everyone glanced around nervously. The explosion was strong and the ground had vibrated as the force of the explosion ripped through the festival and the blonde found herself swaying momentarily as she gathered her feet beneath her. She spotted Sanosuke and Megumi making their way over to her and she waved them, beckoning for them to speed up.

"What was that?" Megumi gasped as she gave Ro a startled look, unusual for a woman who was able to remain calm under most circumstances. The two women looked to Sanosuke who had gone deathly still as his eyes narrowed, his nose flaring at the acrid smell of smoke that was starting to fill the air as the sky was painted a rainbow of fiery reds, yellows, and oranges that was punctured with the blue-grey clouds of smoke. His head whirled around as he spotted the black cloaks of the military police moving through the shadows and confusion and he grit his teeth, shoving Ro and Megumi in the back as he herded them away from the mass of people.

"Whatever the fuck it is, those black cloak bastards are looking for something," He growled as he shoved them harder, their feet getting caught up in their skirts. Ro managed to catch a glimpse of one of the military police that was skirting too closely to them and she ripped away from Sanosuke's arm to give the man a severe punch in the stomach, her blonde hair ripping around her in an angry frenzy of golden curls. Her blue eyes narrowed as the military police officer caught her gaze and she curled her fist threateningly, seemingly not afraid of him as she readied herself to strike again.

"Ro, don't—these guys are probably packing firearms," Sanosuke called in warning as he reached out and snagged Ro by her shall. "You two have to get away from here—go somewhere where there's shelter or at least get somewhere faraway, which ever comes first." Sanosuke pivoted around in a whirlwind of cloaks as he undid the knot that tied his cloak to his body, the fabric billowing dramatically as he let it slide to the ground in a pile of material. his movement much less restricted was gratifying to the fighter as he looked back at the two women who were eyeing him nervously.

"But we can't leave you, Sano!" Ro protested as she grit her teeth and took survey of what was happening around her. People were running every which way in the chaos, there was a howling noise that she could not identify but it sent chills down her spine, the fire seemed to be spreading quickly as it traveled over the decorative pieces that the villagers had lovingly hung days before, and there was mass panic in every direction. Her eyes narrowed as she peered through the darkness that was illuminated by the sinister glows of the fires and she spotted a mass gathering of black cloaks that were drawing their weapons. In the glint of the fire, she spotted the reflection of the metallic casing of the firearms that Sanosuke had warmed her about mere moments ago and she snorted.

"Megumi, we're going to the Long House," Ro muttered as she slid her arm through Megumi's dragging her amongst the throngs of people that were moving towards the industrial district in hopes of seeking refuge within the forges. Sanosuke nodded at her idea as Ro tugged and pulled Megumi, uprooting her from where she had seemed to freeze in her pace. Sanosuke watched as the two women merged into the crowd, traveling in numbers seeming to be a much safer idea as opposed to exposing themselves so close to the epicentre of danger.

"The Long House? Why? What's there?" Megumi inquired as she allowed Ro to tug her along, the smaller blonde weaving her way expertly between the herd of adults and children that were crying out and screaming, names lost in the fire as it made it difficult to speak over the roar. Ro did not answer her as she bit her lip and navigated through the darkness the best she could in the blasted skirt that she had been forced to wear, silently cursing the Northern dress, and she nearly was taken down by a larger man before regaining her stride. Megumi was still in her grasp and she grunted heavily as they moved quickly through the crowd.

"What safer place to be than an armoury?" Ro finally spoke as she banged heavily on the door, Megumi joining her, to signal that whoever was on guard duty had people below wanting to enter. The two women hollered desperately before they realized that perhaps the person had abandoned post and they grit their teeth in raw frustration, Megumi ducking down at the sound of gunfire echoing from where they had been mere minutes before. Ro refused to bow down out of fear and she took in what she had around them with a careful eye, noting that the oil drum used for lighting fires was still in the same spot it always was. She blinked hawkishly as she glanced at the hunkered down form of the doctor, obviously unaccustomed to the dangerous of the field, and she let out a frustrated snarl as she kicked the door viciously, cursing herself for not wearing boots and going along with the espadrilles that everyone was wearing.

" _Damn it!_ " Ro snarled again as she gave the door another kick, this time channeling as much strength as she could into the controlled kick as she felt the wooden door give way slightly. She took a few steps back, her shoulders heaving as she felt her breath come out in ragged waves, as she knew that she had a high chance of fracturing or shattering the bones in her foot if she miscalculated. Shaking her golden hair from her face, Ro let out another snarl as she launched herself forward, gathering precious momentum as she let another mighty kick fly, splintering the door enough that there was a significant hole that would allow them to reach in and jimmy the door open.

"Megumi, stick your hand in there and open the damned door, I'll stand guard—but hurry!" Ro growled as she felt a rush of adrenaline take over her senses and dull the throbbing pain that she knew was going to haunt her for days once it wore off. Megumi looked up at the petite blonde who was heaving and was functioning off pure instinct, Ro's pupils mere pinpricks as she struggled to catch her wind. " _Go_!" Megumi snapped out of it at the harshness of the Southerner's words and she reached in, grasping upwards as her fingers made contact with the hefty handle. With a few attempts and changing the angling of her body, she managed to wrap her hand around the handle and she pulled down and pushed the door towards her, the wooden door scraping heavily against the ground as it groaned over the roaring fire.

"Get in," Ro commanded harshly as her blue eyes took stock once more of their surroundings before she pulled the door closed behind them, making a beeline towards Tae's desk. She grunted as she vaulted the desk, leaving Megumi behind as she rummaged around the weapons room, cursing the lack of light in her own creative way. Megumi peered through the darkness as she made out the faint form of Ro rustling around, metallic and wooden clanking and clambering filling the room as Ro seemed to be gathering tools and weapons. The blonde poked her head out from the darkened room that Tae had kept fairly organized and she tossed a few things onto the desk.

"What's going on? Why are you—?"

"They're looking for something," Ro cut her off as her blue eyes were much more intense as she located her own preferred weapon, slugging it over her shoulder with a well practiced movement that she had executed thousands of times before. "And it looks like they're not shy about destroying the village. This is the sort of tactic that they used in my village." Megumi's eyes widened in realization as she remembered that Ro had been exposed to the government violence via their campaigns and knew well what sort of danger they were all in.

"They used to do this while they were looking for the Sympathizers—smoke everyone out, pick them off one by one," Ro continued as she looked at Megumi from over Tae's desk.

"They're not looking for Sympathizers," Megumi murmured as the wave of realization hit her heavily as she knew immediately that they were looking for the jovial red head that had been up residence within Sanosuke's and Kaoru's home. There was a sickening gurgling in her stomach as she realized that Enishi and his government would leave no stone unturned and would kill indiscriminately until their objective was achieved. These things she had known about, her time in the North having given her an idea, but she had never seen the gravity of the situation as a Southerner would.

"We need to find Kaoru," Ro said sharply as she tapped the base of her pickaxe impatiently. "She's going to do something stupid—"

"—Like stand down Enishi's men unarmed," Megumi finished Ro's phrase and she snapped to attention. "Your foot?" Ro gave her a caustic look as she looked down at her foot and saw that it was bleeding and there were more than a few splinters protruding from the unprotected flesh. She wiggled her toes in plain experimentation, rolling her ankle carefully as she tried to see if there had been any damage. The splinters were painful but she could have had inflicted worse damage on her foot and it seemed to be alright for the moment. The adrenaline still had not worn off completely and it left her fairly numb to pain as her brain shifted into overdrive.

"I'll find Kaoru, you need to give Sanosuke his weapon," Ro said hurriedly as she gestured at the massive zanbatou that she had ripped from the wall and had deposited onto Tae's desk. Megumi's eyes narrowed at the thought of trying to lug the massive sword around and she looked at Ro with an expression that implied that the blonde was crazy.

"You don't know anything about fighting, Megumi," Ro offered by means of explanation as she gave an unapologetic shrug. "And I don't know about you, but I'm not afraid to strike down a few military thugs that are trying to uproot a village that has done nothing to them." Megumi took a careful step back as Ro rested her axe against the wall momentarily, reaching for Sanosuke's zanbatou and hefted it above her head, experimenting with the weight of the weapon. "It's not too heavy, you're not going that far—just make sure he gets it."

"What do you mean you're—"

"—I am going to defend Tereré against Enishi and his band of men, yes," Ro interrupted her again harshly. "They already destroyed my home in the South and I have not been able to forgive myself for this: I cannot sit by and twiddle my thumbs while they do it again." Her bright blue eyes were expressive as they glimmered in the ashy light that filtered in through the window, the sounds of screaming and gunfire providing a gruesome soundtrack to the night sky that had started beautifully.

"You'll be killed," Megumi said as she felt the dryness of her throat catch.

"I'd rather die defending an ideal I believe in than letting this happen again and I'm not the _only_ one who shares this sentiment," Ro countered viciously as she reached over and wrapped Megumi's hands over the hilt of the weapon, releasing it into the doctor's hands. "Wait here until Sanosuke finds you, he knows you're here—at least if you don't want to go back outside. We will need a doctor anyway, so stay out of the way."

"Are you really that ready to throw your life away?"

"All of us have been since we signed up to be patrollers," Ro said darkly as she cast Megumi a sparing glance before securing Kaoru's bokken to her shoulder and hefting her own mighty axe up once again. "We signed our lives away and death is always lingering—death in the forest because we wander off the path, death because a vizinho gets its claws on us, death by defiance: we have long since accepted it knowing we may not control it. This way, I can control my death as opposed to waiting and wondering if today is the day." Ro reached down and grimaced at the skirts that fluttered at her shins before she took the sharp pick of her axe and ripped the garment, muttering an apology to Kaoru. She needed to have mobility and she knew that the blasted thing would get in the way. Freeing her legs and upping her mobility, she stood proudly as she straightened her shoulders.

" _Find Kaoru_ ," Megumi rasped and Ro nodded slowly.

"I have even intention of doing so," She replied in a hollowed voice. "I love her just as much as you and Sanosuke—our loyalty lies with her." Ro gave Megumi a cautious smile that did not illuminate her eyes as she shoved the door open and broke away from the Long House, her sprint significantly slower due to the splinters digging into her skin but she pushed the pain aside as she felt her vision double momentarily before she bounded back towards the festival ground where she knew the crux of the situation was unfolding and where she would find Kaoru.

* * *

Kaoru galloped down the path and when she skidded to a halt, she nearly toppled over as the fire ripped around her, the burning remains of the platform and the festive banners a testament to the first signs of destruction. Her eyes were wide but she steeled her nerves as she picked her way around a burning heap of wood and cloth that seemed to have been a food stall of sorts and she darted towards what she thought was the source of fire. It burned brightest a few hundred metres tucked away from the festival grounds and she grit her teeth as the smoky air and the ashes began to irritate her throat.

"What the hell happened here?" She asked no one in particular as she nearly tripped over an abandoned structure but gained her footing again as she moved quickly through the crowd of people, some injured and some not. She pushed the image from her mind as she rounded the corner and found that the massive tower was on fire and she huffed as she looked around her surroundings quickly, trying to find any official or anyone attempting to combat the flames that licked and waved from one of the oldest structures of the village. She spotted a few fellow patrollers who were just as baffled as she was and she made her way towards them, the men's eyes wild and uncertain as they tried to figure out how or what their role in all of this mess would be.

"What's going on?" Kaoru asked as she coughed as the smoky air filed her lungs and she tried to tie her shawl around her mouth and nose, squinting through the hazy air.

"The military police are attacking civilians," One of the older patrollers, one that worked with Sanosuke on occasion, replied as his gray eyes were filled with confusion and terror. "They're using firearms—they've already killed a few bystanders." Kaoru's eyes flared in horror as the embers seemed to reflect in her azure stare and she took a step back from the group of patrollers that seemed to be uncomfortable with the situation. They were sworn to protect their village as they were the government: who were they truly supposed to aid in these circumstances? It was a question that lingered heavily in the air and tangled with the smoke.

"What do we do?" A newly recruited patroller asked nervously as he pawed at the ground with his espadrille as he looked at the more experienced patrollers.

"Good question, kid," The older one retorted sarcastically.

"They're burning our homes," Another older patroller chimed in as he sounded anguished and destroyed. "The fire is already spreading through the residential district and the first few houses have already caught on fire—if we don't stop them or at least the fires, we're going to lose everything."

"This is exactly what Central wants," Another patroller around Kaoru's age shouted as he cut through the air aggressively with his fist. Kaoru's stomach dropped at the thought that Tereré was going to be subjected to another wave of aggressive campaigns from Central and that the village was going to be levelled by any means necessary. She could recall the ones that had ripped through the land before and had taken many things from her and had nearly destroyed the moral of the village that refused to die or bow down to Central like a government lap dog. They collaborated with Central but there was always the burning spirit of hatred towards Enishi and his government for what they had done and the fear of rebellion was often whispered about amongst confidential ears.

"Who do we protect?" Another patroller from Kaoru's graduating class asked as he coughed roughly as the smoke thickened as the winds whipped up. "The village…"

"Or the government?" Another patroller chimed in. They were all standing around as they tried to assess their options and what the best course of action would be. Most of them knew that there was a chance that they would be killed on the spot, Kaoru included, for raising their weapons to protect the village and its people and it was a sacrifice that many were willing to make in the interest of adhering to their Northern roots as opposed to siding with the very people that had reduced them to mere scraps of existence in an already conflicted world.

"Who is of highest rank?" Kaoru finally spoke as she felt momentarily light headed from the smoke that billowed from another burning structure nearby. If they could designate someone to handle the logistics, to get them back in order, to propose an idea that they could adhere to as well as orders, maybe then their purpose would be justified. She looked around the band of men who were each glancing at each other, silence permeating them as their words crumbled away.

"That would be me," A deep voice spoke and the patrollers whirled around to find the lumbering figure of Sanosuke emerging from the smokey air around them, his white shirt and pants stained with ashes and soot. He was bleeding from his arm, but he had tucked a government firearm into the band of his pants and he was seemingly able to stand on his own, unbothered by the superficial wound that was seeping crimson blood onto his arm. His dark eyes were alert but seemingly distracted as he assessed which of the patrollers were present.

"Sagara Sanosuke," The elderly patroller greeted with a nod. "Excellent. We're glad that you're okay."

"Are you okay, Missy?" He asked, looking down at Kaoru who managed to nod her head as she gave him a tepid look. She looked ragged and tired, her skirts fraying and her hair loosened from the braids, the massive orange flower having been lost somewhere along the path she had ran down to reach Tereré. Her shawl was wrapped around her nose and mouth as she breathed heavily, the smoke seeming to take a heavy affect on her as her gaze darted around.

"Here's the plan: we protect the villagers and provide assistance," Sanosuke barked as he looked away from Kaoru and back at the gathering of fellow patrollers. "If you see someone who is having difficulty finding safety, take them towards the river that runs on the Western side of the village—if you see any military police or soldiers heckling or trying to kill a civilian, intervene without touching the soldier. Create a distraction, create a ruckus, do whatever it takes to buy time to reduce civilian deaths. The moment you raise your fist to them, you'll be shot on the spot. It's your decision how much value you assign to your fucking life, but try to get some people to safety first!" His voice boomed and the patrollers saluted him as they divided into their normal working pairs or with someone they had worked with before.

"Missy, you come with me," Sanosuke said in a low voice as he gestured for her to follow him as they loped and cantered through the first signs of the burning residential district. Kaoru was having difficulty keeping up with the long strides of Sanosuke and she felt her vision cloud over as she stared at his back before she tried to accelerate her pace once again to match his stride. Sanosuke rounded a corner of the untouched area that was about a kilometre from the fires and could potentially escape the destructive incendiary path that awaited them. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the narrow alleyway of the winding streets, a pair of black cloaks trotting by them as they carried torches and firearms, shouting orders to their fellow military police.

"Where's Kenshin?" Sanosuke rasped.

 _"W-what?_ " Kaoru seemed caught off guard by his question.

"Megumi and I saw you two slip off, _where is he?_ " Sanosuke demanded as his tone sharpened and his gaze darkened.

"I don't know—when I heard the first explosion, I came running back," Kaoru answered as her voice stammered lightly. "You don't think…"

"I damned well think that Enishi is after him," Sanosuke snapped as he gave Kaoru a knowing look for having not considered the option. Her bright blue eyes were wide as she considered his words and she pushed herself away from Sanosuke's body, jutting her head out onto the main road through the residential district as she settled her miserable gaze on the burning form of the tower.

"Kaoru, you _seriously_ believe that Enishi would just attack Tereré because of the grudge the North holds against him, do you?" Sanosuke probed in a dangerously low voice as he eyed Kaoru to gauge her body language. She glued herself to the wall as she crossed her arms over her chest protectively, unwilling to acknowledge that the kind red-head was the potential catalyst to such a barbaric and unexpected attack on the small village. Strategically, it was suicidal for Enishi and Central to try and destroy one of the last industrial strong holds in the country and this would carry a heavy price for even the citizens in the capital and the military. It held no logical sense for Enishi to react towards what was a commonly known fact across the nation that the deep-seated hatred for the government would rear its head eventually. Tereré and the Northern cardinal villages were significantly outnumbered and would be squashed immediately.

" _Kaoru!_ " Sanosuke's voice snapped her gaze over to his and he saw a look of abject fear bleeding into her blue eyes as she looked torn between crying and screaming.

"Why would they—"

"—You damned know why they want him," Sanosuke interjected briskly. "Maybe not the fine details, but, _fuck,_ Kaoru—we knew that the government would come knocking sooner or later!"

"But not destroy the village!" She countered back heatedly as she brushed her hands against her eyes, moaning in pain as the soot irritated her eyes. "We wouldn't have known that they would go to such extremes! Sano, _I_ —"

"Where's Kenshin?" Sanosuke asked again as he reached out and grasped Kaoru's shoulders firmly, not allowing her to break away from him as he cemented his hands on her slumping shoulders. "Kaoru, _where is he?_ "

"I don't know!" She shouted back at Sanosuke, her voice rugged and savage as she lashed out against the much stronger patroller that she loved like a brother. "I don't know, Sano! He could be anywhere!" Her shouts were torn and crackled as the telltale signs of crying slowly emerged as her stare became misty and caught the fiery night sky within their blue expansiveness.

"Kaoru, we have to find him and—"

"—And _what_ , Sano, turn him in?" She cut him off aggressively as she shoved against him, reaching up and trying to pry his hands from her shoulders. Sanosuke's brutish strength proved too much for her and she grunted heavily as she surrendered in the attempt to free herself from his grasp. "—I can't do that, Sano…"

"Kaoru, it's between the village or him," Sanosuke said harshly as he shook her lightly. "This should not even be a question: we built our lives on solidarity and we have a duty to protect our people! You can't just throw that away for one person who doesn't even remember who he is!" Sanosuke's words hurt more than any blow that she would receive in her life and her body went lax under his tightening grasp as she exhaled lightly, trying to collect her thoughts as she tried to find any way to refute his claim. On a fundamental level, Sanosuke was absolutely correct and she had sworn to protect the villagers from any threat and this was most definitely a threat despite it being the very entity that had created the job she was occupying. It was complex and she was unsure who she should be pointing her weapon at, at that point: Enishi's shoulders or the vizinhos? Perhaps she should have reached out and taken Sanosuke's weapon to decide her own fate?

"Kaoru, we're wasting time: we have to help the civilians before more casualties add up," Sanosuke said as he tried to soften his voice for her benefit. "We can talk later, but we have a duty to protect our village and our people—it's the masses that need our help, not one man who we don't even know where he is." Kaoru tightened her shoulder muscles as she took another halting breath before nodding slowly, peeling away from the wall as she stepped towards Sanosuke, wrapping her arms around his middle and screaming into his chest, the rooster-headed brother at a loss for words himself as he allowed her to scream and weep, the sounds bleeding into the roar of the fire that was slowly wreaking havoc through their village.

* * *

" _Sanosuke! Kaoru!_ " The familiar voice of Ro caught their attention as she darted through the street and dodged a man stumbling towards any sort of safety, her blonde hair fanning out behind her in a weird golden halo. She skidded to a stop before the other patrollers as she quickly un-shouldered Kaoru's bokken and thrust it into her friend's hands. Kaoru stared mutely down at the weapon before she lifted her eyes to Ro who was giving her a troubled look.

"What's the plan?" Ro inquired as she looked to Sanosuke who seemed relieved that the blonde had managed to get her hand on a few weapons. They were no threat to the police officers who carried firearms that were armed with the very bullets fabricated in Tereré but it would be enough to give them a chance to commit substantial damage if needed. Kaoru's grip on her own weapon was pale as she shook her head at Ro's question, the blonde turning away from her and looking towards the more senior patroller.

"Help as many civilians get to the river on the Western side," Sanosuke relied to her. "Civilian life is a priority—Enishi and Central be damned."

"And Kenshin?" Kaoru and Sanosuke both fixed their stares on the blonde. "Where is he in all this mess?"

"I… I don't know," Kaoru answered feebly as she adjusted her grip on her bokken. "Sanosuke thinks that Enishi is after him."

"He _is_ , Kaoru," Ro said in a controlled voice. "At least, that is what makes the most sense in these circumstances. There is no other circumstance or factor that could justify such a massive attack—this is what they did to us in the South." Her blue eyes were not unkind but they were were growing weary at Kaoru's lack of response.

"Ro, take Kaoru and help as many people as you can get away from the epicentre of this fucking mess," Sanosuke instructed urgently. "I'm going to the Long House to get my own gear."

"Alright," Ro said with a nod as she looked at Kaoru before reaching out and grasping her arm, pulling it gently as she tried to guide Kaoru towards a path where she had seen various civilians reduced to crawling or were too injured to move properly. "Kaoru, let's go. We need to think of the village first." Kaoru met her with another void stare but nodded as she picked up her gait as the two women vanished into the smokey haze, leaving Sanosuke behind as he took the path that would take him towards the Long House and avoid military police that seemed to be highly concentrated in the central part of the village.

"I saw some children hiding in one of the auxiliary buildings, we can get them first," Ro commented as Kaoru loped next to her, their feet pounding against the ground as Kaoru seemed to find her stride and push any emotional turmoil to a side. Ro knew that her friend was having a difficult time swallowing the bitter pill, having expressed her own shame at her career when confronted with Kenshin, and she felt her heart swell painfully at the realization that this was probably going to be the last time that Kaoru saw Kenshin. The image of the two of them dancing together, as Ro watched them with a knowing smirk on her face, was one that would remained imprinted on her memory for years as they moved together like fire and water. She knew that the realization that Kenshin's presence in the village and whatever he truly was would be the means to an end of what she saw to be a blossoming relationship between two very similar people.

"There," Kaoru said as she pointed at said building and they could see the nervous eyes of children peering out through ratty curtains. "Ro, get the door—I'll stand guard." Ro looked over at her with an inquisitive eye but nodded in agreement as she cleaved her axe against the door, weakening it once more as she gave it another firm blow with the blunt end of her massive axe, pushing it open as the children cowered. Ro vanished within the building as she began to count how many children there were and Kaoru kept her eyes peeled as she positioned herself in a defensive position, ready to switch to an offensive one if necessary.

"There's six children here," Ro called as she poked her head out of the doorway. "Let's get them going—I'll take the front, you the rear?" Kaoru nodded as Ro waved for the children to follow them out, the women grouping them in pairs and having them hold hands so that they were not separated.

"Let's go," Kaoru said stiffly as Ro slowly began a jog that would allow them to cover ground without tiring out the children. They wound through the streets, taking the longer route that seemed untouched by the military police as they kept their senses open. Kaoru felt exhausted as her body resisted against the smoke and she pushed herself further as the children groaned and began to cry because the smoke was irritating their sensitive eyes.

"Wait until we get to the river, alright?" She said calmly to one of the youngest, reaching up and tearing her shawl as she fashioned a quick solution to cover the child's nose and mouth. She tied it quickly as Ro waited expectantly, her axe glimmering maliciously in the little light that they were working by, and they were soon pacing themselves towards the western river as the children trotted along, trying not to look at the burning carcasses and structures that lined the route towards the river.

"We're almost there, guys," Ro called out as they approached the slope that they would have to descend. It was treacherous enough for adults to navigate and it was almost impossible for children. Kaoru and Ro pushed the children together into a small group as they watched the surrounding area, trying to assess how they would be able to get the children down the steep slope without anyone slipping or potentially breaking any bones. Kaoru's eyes landed on a relatively clear path and she gestured Ro towards there, following behind the line of children as they approached the path and Ro started to descend, keeping one eye on the children following her and one eye on the river below.

"Alright, here we go," Kaoru said as she ensured that the last child was beginning the descent as she took one last scan of the area before she began to lower herself down the slope, her espadrilles proving to be a hindrance and she debated kicking them off for the duration of the descent. Shaking the idea from her head, she watched as one child tottered dangerously and she reached out, snagging him by the scruff of his shirt, righting him. The child looked back at her with bright eyes and she forced a smile, trying to reassure the child that he would be fine.

"Where's my mama?" The child asked and Kaoru froze, unsure as how to answer such a seemingly innocent question that was charged with an answer that would be too difficult to be sincere about in response.

"I'm sure she's at the river," Kaoru lied as she widened her smile, her heart thumping nervously. "Come on, let's not lose our group, alright?" The child's eyes were shimmering with tears and Kaoru grit her teeth, praying that the child would not hold up their descent as they were still not in the safest area that they could have been in. Ro was looking up at her, five other pairs of eyes watching Kaoru trying to negotiate with the child, and the blonde looked as though she were torn between tearing up the slope to aid her friend or stay with the more vulnerable children.

"We're coming, we'll catch up!" Kaoru called down to Ro who gave her a quizzical look but nodded as she started to herd the children towards the river where they would be reunited with citizens who had already been moved there by the other patrollers under Sanosuke's orders. Kaoru watched as their forms retreated as she looked down back at the child that had sunk onto the ground, his arms curled over his head as he began to shake and shiver uncontrollably, the tears and yelping piercing the air with a desperate note that made her heart stir in empathy.

"What's your name?" Kaoru inquired as she kneeled down next to the child, temporarily shouldering her bokken as she rubbed her hands up and down the small child's back.

"Inaho," The child managed to reply through his sobbing, his chubby cheeks sooty and stained an angry red as his eyes were red-rimmed and fearful.

"I'll help you find your mother, Inaho, but we have to get to the bottom first," Kaoru said reasonably as she tried to rack her brain for any negotiation tactics on how to handle children. She had very little experience with them and how to deal with their more mulish behaviour or basic reactions. Children, as she knew, were not as exposed to the harshness of their lives and they were still fairly sheltered when the parents were able to hide the cruelness of Central from their offspring. "So, let's go together! Does that sound good?" Inaho looked up at her and opened his mouth as though he were to answer but a shadow crossed over his face and he let out a shriek as Kaoru whirled around and found herself staring face to face with the Delegation Representative Kanryuu.

"Ah, Miss. Kamiya, what an _absolute_ pleasure to find you," He drawled as he released the safety on his handgun, the clinking of metal echoing loudly in Kaoru's ears as she dove to shield Inaho's body with her own, her muscles tensing as she heard the rustling of Kanryuu's sleeves moving as he aimed the pistol at the back of her head, Kaoru's grip tightening on the muted child who had seemed to fall into a comatose state.

"It's a real shame, you were making quite the name for yourselves amongst our patrollers," Kanryuu remarked as he tilted his head at her, narrowed eyes gleaming maliciously in the faint light as the fire rose behind him, Tereré's spirit burning and being singed into nothing, years of prideful history slowly being erased from the planet as lives were extinguished like mere candles.

"You really should never have gotten involved in our search for the Vestige," He continued and Kaoru's eyes flew open at the mention of such a strange word but she felt the muzzle of the gun pressed viciously against her hair, her eyes being squeezed tightly together as she tried to protect the child knowing that it would be a rain of blood, tears, and screams that accompanied her on passing from this mortal plain to whatever waited for her beyond what her own eyes could see.

"Goodbye, Miss. Kamiya, and thank _you_ for your patronage and service to Central," Kanryuu said as the hints of disgust crept into his voice, his finger that had been resting on the trigger flexing as he slowly pulled the mechanical piece, each cog and mechanism falling into place as the bullet was prepped to be released from its housing within the cylinder. Kaoru let out a heavy scream but was silenced as a familiar sense of warmth rushed over her and she heard the gun being fired without a bullet lodging into her flesh.

She opened her eyes once more and gasped, her body trembling as she caught the familiar mane of crimson red hair framing the enraged expression of Kenshin, his right hand glowing brightly in a soft electric blue as his eyes narrowed dangerously, the very energy around him static and seeming to raise the hairs on her arms. She blinked as she realized that the lovely violet hue had vanished from his eyes and was replaced with a molten gold that seemed void of any emotions related to his typical friendliness. His robes were shredded, his cloak ripped from his body and revealing the angry scarring that she had observed when she had inspected his body whilst he was still asleep. The very Earth seemed to tremble beneath him and Kaoru leaned away from Inaho, who was still speechless, and she took in a long breathe at the realization that the weapon had been knocked from Kanryuu's hands.

"So, you've decided to show yourself," Kanyruu said calmly, non-plussed by the magical energy that was crackling in the air around him. "It was about time."

* * *

A/N: Cliff hangers are most appropriate from time to time. :)

Also, happy Dos de Mayo from Spain! It is an important day in my adoptive city, so we have the day off! I took time to pre-write up until the third arc, so I can say that this second book 'Mountain' will have three more chapters to it. The story is taking some nice turns and I'm having fun building it upwards now. Plus you're going to be introduced to a few crucial figures in the next few chapters, so make sure to keep an eye out for them.

As always, I do not own anything from the fandom other than this plot (and Ro). Please don't forget to review!


	17. Chapter 17

Book II

Menydh

Mountain

Chapter XVII

Confrontation

"May your journey overflow with allies and enemies."

* * *

There was an unfamiliar sweetness to the air that seemed to perfume the entire surrounding area in a lovely mixture of berries, flowers, damp forest growth, and a homely earthy scent that was not typical of the North. There were birds chirping and insects rubbed their appendages together and there was the sound of what seemed to be an aquatic babbling that was much closer to his body. His body felt weightless as though it were resting on a delicate surface that rippled around him and wrapped warm tendrils around his limbs, easing the aching that seemed to be most persistent. He knew his guard should have been up in such unfamiliar conditions but he could not muster the will to summon the reserves that were churning within his belly.

"How's he looking?" A male voice asked and Kenshin stiffened momentarily but relaxed once again as he realized that his body was suspended upon a warm spring of water that seemed to be healing the damage he had accumulated before fleeing from the scene, the last memory of Kaoru's face was one of horror, shock, and confusion as she seemed to desperately reach out towards him, her hand brushing his before he was swallowed up by the Earth, vanishing from the mortal plain.

"Like shit," A female voice pipped in as he heard someone settle on the shore of the spring. Her clothes rustled and she had a peculiar accent that hinted that she was not of Kaoru's lands. "He's been like this for two days, pops, he shouldn't be out for this long." There was a rough coughing as the male cleared his throat and the girl muttered something about the old geezer not taking care of his health. She seemed to be humming under her breath and Kenshin could feel bright curious eyes fixated on him in passing interest. Her stare was far from hostile and she had no threat lingering in her spiritual signature that seemed to burn brightly.

"Give it time, Misao, it's rough to be yanked between the two plains and he came fairly banged up," The old man warned as a thinning patience crept into his voice. The girl whined at his insistence that she show the minimum of patience but she begrudgingly agreed to the older man's petition as she rose to her feet, her spiritual signature retreating further away, losing its bright light that seemed to flutter about like a spirited butterfly in a spring meadow.

"Well, maybe he shouldn't have just dropped in like he did," She contested hotly. "It's hardly polite to do so without at least introducing yourself, you know? Even I'm not that dense."

"He's _unconscious_ , Misao," The old man said wearily to which he was greeted with her shouts of that she was perfectly aware that the red head was unconscious and dressed in human clothes. The loud female voice of the one called Misao than began to rant on about how he smelled of rank gunpowder, explosives, as well as blood to which she began another tirade of farfetched complaints. The smell of gunpowder was fairly prominent on his clothes and Kenshin wrinkled his nose at the acrid smell that reminded him that humans had evolved significantly in terms of self defence and that those types of weapons were formidable against most things.

Most things—with the exception of raw magic topping that very limited list of exceptions.

* * *

He had lost Kaoru when she had bolted at the first explosion and the chaos that was between the village and the forest's screams of agony made it impossible to try and localize her amongst the flurry of movement. He had lost sight of her as she rounded the bend and vanished into the crowds and he had been unable to spot Ro, Sanosuke, or Megumi amongst the mess of people either.

There was a sour taste in his mouth that was becoming more and more bitter at the realization that the presence of the government officials was not mere coincidence. The dots and lines were quickly connected as his mind took in the streams of information, allowing him to comprehend and analyze the situation at hand with an inhuman speed and supernatural calculus that would put even the sharpest minds to shame. The government officials presiding over the festival, the shrieks and groans of civilians dying, the use of firearms to dispose of any meek opposition that a defenceless village could scrummage together: it was the recipe for perfect disaster and the perfect manner to achieve an objective.

Kenshin's mind connected the fires and the smokes to Ro's retellings of how entire villages in the Southern cardinal civilization had been destroyed and levelled to nothing. The few ruins that were left were charred remains and they stood as a constantly reminder that the government was ruthless when they were set on obtaining what they desired. She had described how they would light villages on fire to kill Sympathizers or to force neutrals or pursuits to rat out those close to the other world in order to prevent more damage from being done.

He whirled around quickly on his foot as he bound through another crowd, reaching up and trying to tug his hug up over his head to avoid attracting too much attention to himself. The air was smokey and hazy, making it hard to get an accurate visual on what was happening at a surface level. Kenshin grunted as his foot connected with a discarded barrel but he righted himself as he tried to power ahead, his mind set on trying to find Kaoru to ensure that she was safe and had not been caught up in the chaos and been hurt. She was far from useless in combat as he had come to learn, but he knew that she was weaponless and she was at a stark disadvantage.

There was a sinking in his gut as he realized that whatever was attacking or causing harm upon the village had chosen the most opportune moment: the scarce slice of happiness that they afforded themselves in revering their culture in a fleeting moment of colours, joy, and memories. It sat poorly with him and he felt a flicker of rage lick his conscious as his body seemed to move of its own accord through the crowd, trying to pick out Kaoru from the masses of confused, panicked, and frazzled villagers that did not spare him a secondary look. The merriment of the evening had vanished with a crack of an invisible whip and the cries, the moans, and the agony started to overwhelm his scenes, making him go haywire.

W _here is Ms. Kaoru?_ He thought desperately as he tore down the familiar path towards the residential area of Tereré in the hopes that she would have had enough sense to try and escape, hiding away in her home. There was a logical side to him that assumed that she would make that decision but the emotional side of him that was drawn into that firmly defiant nature that she occasionally released was aware that she had most likely thrown herself into the burning pit of hellfire confusion in the attempts to come to the aid of her fellow villagers. Kenshin grit his teeth and he suppressed the urge to berate her for being impulsive about such things but he knew that the village would come first in many ways and she was fiercely protective of what was left of the shredded remains of Northern ethic and pride.

He picked his way through the village carefully, trying to move in the cover of the shadows as he plastered himself against walls and fences to avoid the prying eyes of the chaotic mob of villagers that were scattering about, gun fire raining above him and the gun powder explosions booming against the stamping of feet and the anguished screams.

Central is powerful because they have gun powder and arms that we ourselves make up here in the North, Kaoru's voice resounded in his head as he felt the depth of her words crawl over him. They had been sitting under the cover of the forest, Kaoru propped up against a tree and him seated on the dampened earth a few meters away. She had been explaining that Central had a significant military advantage due to their taming of gun powder and their proactive use of it in any conflicts. She described having only seen an injury caused by a bullet once and Kenshin remembered wincing at the graphic description of how the bullet left a massive hole in the victim's chest, muscles destroyed, blood seeping through the injury.

"Kenshin?" A tentative voice caught his attention and he saw Megumi peeking from around the corner of a fairly stable building, her lips pursed as her intelligent eyes roamed over the scene that was unfolding before them.

"Ms. Megumi," He muttered as he took a sweeping glance around before moving through the shadows to join her. She gestured for him to follow her as they ducked inside what seemed to be the back entrance of the famed Long House, Megumi kneeling below the lowest point of the window to avoid detection. Her hair was dishevelled and her elegant skirts were caked with soot, ash, and dirt: a stark contrast to the well put together woman that seemed to stride as though the world owed her a favour.

"Where's Kaoru?" Megumi whispered as they pressed closer to the ground.

"This one does not know, Ms. Kaoru bolted in the direction of the disturbances," Kenshin replied in an equally quiet voice, the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.

"Then I might have seen you after, I just assumed you two would have found each other in all of this mess," Megumi said in a rushed tone as she brushed a long lock of hair from her face and gave Kenshin a desperate look. "Enishi is behind this—although I think that's _fairly_ obvious, isn't it?" The doctor-to-be was breathing heavily as she pressed her fingers to her temples and began to make small circular motions.

"What does he want?" Megumi's eyes locked onto his and she narrowed her gaze at him, unsure as to if Kenshin was enquiring out of true ignorance to the situation or seeking a hardy confirmation that he was the target of Enishi and his men. The woman huffed as she rubbed harder and grit her teeth as she tried to calm her nerves from another explosion that sounded much closer than she liked and she coughed momentarily in her throat.

"He's after you," Megumi finally answered. "He's found out that you're here— _whatever_ you may be, he's interested in you. And he's using the same tactics that he used in the South to get what he wanted." Kenshin felt his throat seize for a brief moment as he realized that Megumi's words were harsh, direct, and honest to a fault as he played them over in his head once more, mouthing them to himself in disbelief as his violet stare hardened significantly. "Kenshin—whatever value you have to him, he's not going to stop destroying the village until he has his hands on you. He doesn't care how many bodies pile up and burn into ashes: he's _that_ ruthless."

"This one needs to find Ms. Kaoru," Kenshin whispered in a rugged voice as something primitive gurgled in the back of his mind in a dangerous whisper of instinct that was brutally animalistic in nature. There was an overwhelming need to locate the raven haired beauty that he had been dancing with a mere hour before and whisk her away from the danger of being caught in the fatal talons of Enishi and his men. There was a growl that slipped through his lips as his eyes froze over in a void wash of negative emotion, a speckling of gold that seemed to dominate the gentle violet that was friendly and almost unassuming.

"You're putting her in danger if you get too close," Megumi refuted as she gave him a quizzical look. "You should be running for the hills—"

"—I know that Kaoru is trying her best to save the village," Kenshin spoke in a much tighter voice as he dropped his odd speech pattern of referring to himself in the third person—something that Megumi noticed immediately as she registered the change in the tone of his voice. "She would not let her people perish like this because she hates Central just as much as anyone in this village. I need to find her and assure her safety." Megumi blinked at him, her vulpine face morphing into an expression of confusion as she watched Kenshin's form slump over dangerously, doubling in on itself as he stared at the ground, his vision darkening.

"Kaoru will be _fine_ , she can handle herself," Megumi snapped as she realized that this was a complete different beast that the passive and gentle natured red haired man that she had met a few days prior. "You need to focus on what you need to do: our village is burning because of your presence—what options do you have?"

"Options?"

"There are a lot of people who are going to die if Enishi does not get what he wants," Megumi said in a sharp tone as the flare of fire reflected in her dark irises. "There are a lot of people who are hurt and bleeding out because Enishi's men are looking for you—but if you turn yourself over to Enishi, who knows what they'll do to you? What easy option is there for you to pursue? You're subjecting yourself to whatever Central wants with you and I can tell you that they are not merciful." Her pale hands were folded together on her lap as she gave him a hardened stare that seemed to challenge what sort of integrity he would utilize to make a decision that seemed to have no viable exit plan.

"This may seem horribly cruel to say but," Megumi bit her lip as she tried to think of how to best soften the blow, "You have to make a decision and quickly. We're running out of time." Her face was pale as she crouched lower to the ground, her back foot hitting against something metallic that made an inorganic noise that piqued his attention. Kenshin's eyes went to the weapon that Megumi had been seemingly guarding and he looked back to face the doctor-in-training only to find that she was just as conflicted as he was. She was not one designed to fight but to rather flank the side lines and assist those who had fallen in battle: she was not hardened the same way that Sanosuke or even Kaoru were and her body screamed fear and agony at the charred smell of burning houses.

"Whatever decision that I may take is going to hurt significant amounts of people," Kenshin finally spoke as Megumi's eyes widened to large saucer sizes as she immediately understood that the ultimatum that he was being presented with was of the cruelest variety. "Kaoru is going to suffer because of my actions either way and there is no solution that is truly painless if things are to continue as such. I abhor the idea of people's lives being lost because my presence amongst them is the catalyst. There are still things that need to be said to her that I did not have the chance to say and…" He trailed off as his gaze sharpened, his pupils contracting as he felt a molten-light swirl of pure raw magical energy curdle within his belly, solidifying and whispering frantically to be released.

"You wish to say them to clear the air with her," Megumi said solemnly. "Sanosuke told me that you mentioned that you were going to be leaving in the near future and that your date of departure was still not set."

"Sanosuke told you?" Kenshin's golden stare was harsh as he glowered at the doctor who steeled her shoulders, bracing herself as she met his threatening gaze with a much more resolute air about her. His hair bristled as he tried to calm the rage that was lapping against his conscious but he found that the waves were impressive swells that refused to be tamed.

"Yes," Megumi replied with a nod. "He did not know much and I have a feeling that you also have not disclosed the particulars of your imminent departure?" Kenshin was silent as he knew that Megumi was crafty and intelligent in her own way and was a good read of character. It was true that he had kept the fact that he would be leaving to himself and knew more or less when he would step out into the world and wander South but he had bet on having more time to say what truly had needed to be said to the gentle soul that had graciously taken him into her abode.

"Even if you are to say whatever you need to say to Kaoru, we have this entire situation to contend with and it is probably already breaking her heart more than it can handle at this point," Megumi pointed out as she ran a nervous hand through her hair. "Finding her is going to be difficult with all the people running around and Enishi's cronies looking for you—but if I were to take a guess, they would have probably escaped towards the river. That is… well, if she is not trying to help evacuate people already in the city—"

"—You're not too bad, fox," Sanosuke's voice cut in as he pushed open the door with his foot, sending a scouring take over the area around the Long House to ensure that he had not been spotted. Shutting the door quickly as he slipped through the shadows and drew up towards Kenshin and Megumi, they both noted that his face was covered in soot, he had a prominent cut over his left brow, and his clothes were ripped. He was breathing heavily and it was a whooping sound, hinting at the smoke inhalation, but he was still standing proudly on his two feet and seemed apt to move.

"Kaoru and Ro are helping to move people towards the Western river with other patrollers that know the lay of the land," Sanosuke said in a low tone that was poisoned with ire and burning rage that seemed misplaced from his normally laid-back and more lax attitude. Megumi looked significantly relieved at the form of the seasoned patroller and Kenshin was silent as he regarded the other male with a gross stare that was not the violet gentleness that the rooster-haired patroller was familiar with as he plopped down onto his knees to avoid further detection from outside.

"How do _you_ know?"

"I gave them the order," Sanosuke answered gruffly as he turned his stare to Kenshin. "You have a significant amount of explaining to do—why the _fuck_ is Enishi after you?" Kenshin was unmoving as he stared down the much larger man with an expressionless face and Sanosuke snarled as his tattered clothing fluttered, his powerful thigh muscles propelling him forward as he tried to lunge at Kenshin. The red head moved quickly as he darted away from the patroller's hands that were ready to wrap around his neck, his golden stare predatory as he watched as Sanosuke righted himself before attempting another leap towards him.

"You've been lying to us," Sanosuke rasped as he managed to snag Kenshin's robe, slowing his movements significantly as the red head struggled momentarily before freeing himself from the garment and putting a few more meters between himself and Sanosuke. Megumi looked torn as she knew that she would be unable to put a stop to Sanosuke and she also had many questions that would fill in the significant information gap that was presented in the current situation. She opened her mouth to utter that Sanosuke stop but she was cut off with a piercing glare from the rooster-haired patroller that suggested that she remain silent.

"You bastard, how long were you going to keep silent?" Sanosuke growled angrily as he rose to his full height and took on a stance that Megumi and Kenshin recognized as offensive. "How long were you going to wait until something happened? Our fucking village is in trouble because of you." Sanosuke refused to shout and to scream but he felt his muscles tense as the red haired man stared him down with a mirthful glare, he himself unsure as to what he was capable of. He knew that Kenshin's magic was a potential threat but he was also aware that he was staring down a completely different person.

"I cannot say that I know what I am or why Enishi and Central are after me," Kenshin replied quietly as he dug his feet into the ground, his body seeming to move as though it had fought before. His arms and legs slid into a bizarre stance that he recognized as being used to engage in combat but everything moved autonomously. His body was screaming at him to fight, the magic coiling painfully in his gut, and he grit his teeth as he tried to shake the sensation off with little success.

"I should have known letting the Missy bring you home was a bad idea," Sanosuke huffed. "Half the village is in flames because they won't stop until they find you. I had reasons to doubt you but you played us for fools, you bastard."

"Sanosuke!" Megumi snapped as she gave him a harsh look. " _That's_ _not true!"_

"How do you know?" Sanosuke asked in an even tone as he eyed the man he was squared off against. "How do you know that this entire time he has not been faking amnesia? How many fucking people use magic, Megumi? Why should we have trusted him from the beginning?" They were all relevant questions and Kenshin found himself in begrudging agreement with the older patroller and knew that he would be posing similar doubts as well.

"Because Kaoru trusted him," Megumi replied shortly. "And you trust her."

"Kaoru trusted him because she was obligated by the fact that we left no debt unpaid and she was guilted into it," Sanosuke retorted as he cast his eyes between Kenshin and Megumi.

"And don't you think that she was aware that, that debt had been long overpaid?" Megumi questioned icily as she bowed her head momentarily as she collected her thoughts. "Or have you already forgotten how the two of them looked as they danced together tonight? Don't you get it, Sanosuke? It's not about the culturally obligated debt at this point: it's because Kaoru trusted him beyond any superficial cultural practices that we decide to adhere to!" Kenshin's eyes snapped open wide at those words as the realization sank into the recesses of his mind and Megumi's words seemed to echo in an infinite chamber.

"Are you really going to question her decision to let him stay beyond what would have been reasonably allocated?" Megumi challenged as she watched Sanosuke's muscles ripple before she turned to Kenshin and asked, "Are you really going to let her suffer any more? You have to make a decision, damn it! If not for the village, make it for Kaoru's sake!" Her words cut through him like sharpened fragments of glass and the storm that raged within him immediately subsided as he felt a bizarre nirvana-like calmness replace the anger that was threatening to swallow his soul.

"Kaoru trusts you more than she probably should," Megumi relented as she slowly reached over and covered Sanosuke's fist with her much smaller and much more delicate hand, lowering his fist from his aggressive stance to one that oozed passiveness. "She will understand whatever decision you make, even if it breaks her, but she will understand why because she loves Tereré as much as she trusts you. Whatever you have to say to make your peace, please, say it but say it knowing that you have made your decision." Megumi's voice-of-reason was impacting as both Sanosuke and Kenshin seemed to release the tension that had accumulated in their muscles, their bodies going slack as they let down their stiff postures as they realized the gravity of the situation that rested upon their heads like an unwanted crown of thorns.

"Find her while you can," Megumi insisted as she reached out and snagged Sanosuke's robes, tattered and filthy, and the tug of fabric forced him into a docile like state as he complied to the woman's silent request. "Tell her what she needs to hear."

"Megumi—"

"—She's _already_ lost her father and regretted not saying goodbye," Megumi snapped as her grip on his sleeve tightened. "Don't make her relive the same scenario, Sanosuke!" The warning tone humbled the swirls of rage that pressed against Kenshin's mind as he felt the world stop shaking as he realized that Megumi was correct. It was unjust of him to abandon her without at least saying what he needed to say to try and make her understand. He rose to his feet, coughing slightly at the smoke that started to seep through the openings in the door, and he cast a sparing glance at the forms of the two humans that watched him with conflicted looks but remained silent.

"If we meet again, I'll fucking kill you for what you're about to do to her," Sanosuke spat angrily as he finally mustered the words that matched his expression. "Kaoru will be destroyed—and it will be because of you," He continued as he glowered at Kenshin but did not move or try to escape from Megumi, who had slid her arm over his shoulders as she willed him to calm himself.

"I will allow you to do so as a just punishment for my actions," Kenshin said darkly as he moved to slip out the door, his heart darkening as something much more primitive and dangerous growled from within his body. The world was projected before him in a sharp clarity that made him uneasy as he became witness to the minute details of the burning world around him. The acrid smell of the artificial blending with the more organic burning of the Earth left him ill and it spurred him forward as he took off to the West, knowing that the river cut through the lands without ever having seen it for himself. His feet moved of their own constitution and he tore over the ground, everything blurring into shapelessness as he covered mass distance.

" _Kaoru!_ "

* * *

"So, how is she?" Ro asked quietly as she set down a cup of tea before Megumi, who had perched herself primly on the edge of the overstuffed chair in Ro's nearly vacant living room. The blonde had requested Megumi's presence at her own house, most likely to discuss what had occurred out of earshot of Kaoru. She slowly ambled back to her kitchen and fetched the other cup of tea that she had prepared, her bandaged fingers gripping the handle of the tea cup with a heavy level of uncertainty as she sank down into her late husband's chair that she had been unwilling to burn or give away. She had been fortunate that her house had escaped the rage of the flames, although there were marred marks on the exterior of her house that hinted at how lucky she had been.

"Kaoru is healing nicely, her wounds are closing and we will be able to remove the stitches from a few of them in a few days," Megumi explained neutrally as she brought the tea to her lips and took a delicate sip. "I would actually say that her wounds are healing quickly. She's been awake for the last five days and seems to be physically mending."

" _Quickly_?" Ro echoed.

"Yes, quickly, by all means, she should have probably died from the infection that had started to spread from the wound on her stomach," Megumi said as her tone lost its emptiness and gained something else that Ro could not pinpoint. "Yet it seems as though there's something that has been helping her along and has been fighting off the infection and accelerating her healing."

"In other words… magic," Ro said flatly as she folded her arms over her chest. "How?"

"I don't know," Megumi answered truthfully. "The only person who would be able to answer is long gone." Ro tilted her head at Megumi as she considered the doctor-in-training with a levelled stare that seemed to ask more questions than Megumi would be able to readily answer. The blonde patroller huffed as she sunk further into her chair as she looked away from the other woman and stared at the charcoal portrait of herself and her husband to give herself something to focus on without losing her already quick-fire temper.

"South," Ro said abruptly. "Kaoru told me he asked her about the Great Southern Migration, which to be fair, even we are not sure about what it is exactly. If anything, though, that's where he would have gone."

"To your homeland," Megumi remarked as she grasped at the teacup to the point her knuckles had whitened.

"Yep," Ro muttered in response. "The last frontier of the country." Her gaze slid back to Megumi who was sitting quietly as she waited for the Southern to elaborate on her response. "Kaoru told me that he had asked her to join him and she had refused, obviously, because of her ties here. I even remember her saying that she had very little interest in venturing beyond Tereré. She has everything that she ever wanted here, you know? It's home."

"It's hardly like you to be empathetic towards such an attitude rooted in the belief that staying put is the healthier alternative," Megumi commented with a rasp as she loosened her grip on the teacup.

"This is about Kaoru and doing what is right," Ro countered half-heartedly. "We are hardly in any position to criticize her decision to reject Kenshin's request for her to journey southward with him. She probably has her own reasons: although I cannot be sure if they are still valid at this point." Ro sighed heavily again as she gave Megumi another flat look that seemed to have sucked the life from her normally spirited attitude.

"Has she been able to tell you what happened when they were confronted by Kanryuu?" Ro enquired as she diverted the conversation back to evening of the Solstice and the fire that had ran unchecked through Tereré. Ro had been too far down the steep slope to have seen everything properly but she had watched as the world momentarily shuddered and a sense of dread had swept over her body as she watched the red headed man square off against the snake that was Kanryuu.

"Bits and pieces," Megumi replied neutrally. "It's either she does not recall the chain of events or she doesn't want to relive them again. In all fairness, I can't fault her for not wanting to speak about it; but it would help put some of the puzzle back together, wouldn't it?"

"Mmm," Ro hummed in agreement as she felt her shoulders stiffen, her blue eyes hazing over momentarily as she felt her mind slowly drift back to that evening as she remembered the crackling of the fire, the shouts and groans of agony, and the world burning to ashes around her insignificant existence in that world at that moment. "It's probably a sensitive topic at this point. Obviously, what am I saying?"

"If he's going South, should we go after him?"

"I've already managed to smuggle out a telegram to an old friend in the South and asked for a bit of help," Ro replied as she made a face. "It wasn't easy to get that stupid message out, but nothing's been easy, has it? I'm hoping it's gone through, otherwise we're in deeper problems than we already are."

* * *

It had not been hard to pick up Kaoru's trail as the smoke and flames died down further away from the singed village, Kenshin's eyes alert and his pupils mere pinpricks as he glided over the charred earth like a nighthawk. The long sleeves of the tattered robes billowed behind him as he moved gracefully, ducking in and out of the shadows as he cast mirthful looks upon the throngs of people that were shuffling towards the safety of the river.

He spotted a flash of golden hair, an atypical colour in this region, and he nearly called out before silencing himself as he resigned himself to watching as he made out the image of Ro leading a group of young and sooted children, her head occasionally swivelling behind her to recount and make sure the ground continued in formation. It was only then that he observed that Kaoru was bringing up the rear of the duck-line, herself a human caboose, as she seemed to be bobbing her head at one child as they approached a steep incline.

Ro had managed to make her way down the steep hill without too many issues, stationing herself to receive the children in order as they slipped and slid down the face of the hill and into her protective custody. The blonde was watching as one particular child seemed frozen in place, Kaoru slowly descending and speaking to the spooked child who seemed to nod at her words. Kenshin had nearly called out to her, wishing to aid her whisk the children away towards the river, but he felt the world still around him as he watched an older man pull up behind Kaoru, who was crouching on the ground and speaking to the child.

It was the flash of metal that triggered something bestial within his body as the entirety of rational thought was discarded and burned in the fire as he let out an inhuman roar. Propelling himself with super human speed, the world blurring and falling to pieces around him as he could only focus on the frame of Kaoru cowering over the child's body, he skirted over the ground and halted abruptly between Kaoru and the barrel of what he had been told was a firearm. He had barely had time to register that the trigger had been pulled on the gun and released the bullet from its casing. Whatever demonic force that had drove him forward lashed out as the bullet seemed to dissipate into nothingness, falling to the ground. Kenshin's arms were outspread and he glowered at the man who looked down at him with a mildly perturbed look of sick amusement as the human examined the dusty remains of the bullet.

Kenshin had never, in recent and clear as day memory, felt his temper slid into a state in which he felt it trickle through his fingers and be cast away into nothingness. His body was tight as his muscles groaned under the sheer force of the blood and magic circulating through him, his hands channeling a highway of searing hot magic that pained him. His right hand was screaming out in pain, the runes seeming to ooze an odd bloody texture as the electric blue light seemed to wrap around him, as he stared into the eyes of the man who dared to threaten the kindly patroller who was still hunkered down behind him. He felt her hand brush against his leg as she hissed, his skin seeming to seep with magic that could not be confined to his slim body.

"So, you've decided to show yourself," Kanyruu drawled. "It was about time."

"Ah, well, isn't this _delightful?_ " The man crooned as he grinned devilishly as he aimed the gun once again at Kenshin, the muzzle mere centimetres from the flames of magical essence that seemed to cloak Kenshin's figure, and by extension, Kaoru. "I'm sure that Enishi will be thrilled that you've taken away the ease of trying to hunt you down."

"Whatever you want from me does not involve this girl," Kenshin growled, his voice dropping dangerously as his words held no warmth or regard for the human male standing before him. He heard a strangled cry from behind him but did not dare to turn and acknowledge the source as he heard a scuffling as Kaoru nearly pushed the child down the steep incline. "Leave Kaoru out of this. She's innocent."

"She's hardly innocent considering that she was housing you this entire time as opposed to reporting you to the Delegation as any good citizen or servant to the government would do out of loyalty to Central," Kanryuu replied with a half shrug as though it were the most obvious statement in the world. "She could be hanged for treason given that you're wanted by the state, Vestige. You're _hardly_ in ample position to negotiate this girl's freedom."

"I will not stand to let her be accused of something that she has not done," Kenshin hissed angrily as a fresh layer of electric blue flames seemed to brighten whatever his body was incapable of processing for itself as it rolled off him in magical discharges that scorched the earth at his feet. "She has not conspired against Central in hiding me—we don't even know who I am or what value I have to Central. However—"

"— _Kenshin,_ he's… he's not wrong," Kaoru's meek voice spoke up as her gaze refused to meet his. She felt the magical energy that the redhead was electrifying the air with die away momentarily as though her voice seemed to break through a heavy wall. "I-I… _did_ break the law. Knowingly, yes, I did break the law to make sure that they did not take you away. You were in no condition at that time to be handed over to Central: if they won't tell me anything about my father, what makes you think that I would be willing to turn you in to them?" Her voice was even as she seemed to compose herself.

"Let me reiterate the fact that you're in no position to be negotiating on this girl's behalf, _however_ , since I'm a generous individual, I would be willing to turn a blind eye to her treasonous acts if you were to cooperate fully," Kanryuu said calmly as he looked down at his weapon, contemplating the benefits of drawing it closer to the redhead's body or not. "You, ultimately, are the one to be held responsible for the destruction of the village. By association, Miss. Kamiya will also be blamed—given that she was hiding you from us. Your cooperation can ensure her walking away from this as cleanly as possible. It seems that history likes to repeat itself, doesn't it, Vestige?"

"Don't do it, Kenshin," Kaoru growled harshly as she ripped her gaze up to stare at him. "They'll do horrible things to you!" Her voice was pleading as he eyed her from the corner of his eye, a golden orb that seemed void of human emotion and empathy reminding her viciously of being stared down by a vizinho.

"My walking free is not worth whatever they're going to do to you," She argued as his gaze slid back to Kanryuu who was still pointing his firearm at Kenshin. "Please… don't—"

"I would rather make sure that you're alive as opposed to hanged for the burden that my presence has brought upon you," Kenshin said shortly as he glowered at Kanryuu through the hazy blue aura that seemed to swallow him up in a bubble of pure magic. "But I will not allow myself to be captured by Central and used for their own intents and purposes." His stare hardened as Kanryuu seemed to grow impatient, his finger sliding down to the trigger once again.

"Oh, this truly is rich," He commented as his beady eyes glimmered in the flames, his finger settling on the trigger comfortably in a well practiced gesture. "Lord Enishi would be thrilled to see such theatrics." Kaoru's nostrils flared as she trained her eyes on the Delegate and she desperately wished that she had the strength to attempt to knock the gun from his hands without it discharging accidentally.

"Setting a village ablaze is hardly theatrics," Kenshin growled as the happy faces of the villagers dancing mere hours before were still fresh in his uncrowded memory. "Attacking innocent individuals when they're at their most vulnerable is hardly theatrics." His gaze intensified as the blue energy seemed to cut through the air, expanding into tendrils as they spread over the ground, Kaoru hissing as it burned against her skin. She recognized immediately that it was not the kind and warm magic but rather a protective and predatory one that she had never witnessed from Kenshin.

"I grow weary of this," Kanryuu warned as he took a sizeable step backwards to avoid the magic from touching him but winced as it made contact with his feet. He raised his gun and aimed it at Kenshin's forehead, squinting to be able to try and see through the blue hue that enclosed around Kenshin's smaller form and seemed to burn brighter than the fires that were still gnawing away at the homes of a village that was left half destroyed. Kanryuu grunted as his fingers pulled the trigger but the grunt shifted into a yelp as the blue flames intercepted the bullet and reduced it into nothingness, the remains scattering over the charred earth.

"Kenshin—!" Kaoru's voice was sharp as it was borderline shrieking, but he paid no heed as he felt the last semblance of self control melt away into the darkness as he slammed his right hand into the ground, shattering the earth before him as it erupted upwards and an entire burst of heated energy rose upwards. Kaoru ducked down as she tried to cover her face, peering through her hands with one eye open as she watched Kenshin's limber frame go upright as Kanyruu and his gun became engulfed in what seemed to be a nest of thorns that pierced and shredded at his skin, a sickish purple hue quickly settling on his face.

"Kaoru, _go_ find Sanosuke and escape," Kenshin said quietly as his voice drained of any perceived recognition that she would have held for him.

"But, Kenshin… what…"

"Go." She cringed at his words as she gulped down the lump in her throat before furrowing her brows and shooting to her feet as she reached for him, her hand connecting with his elbow. She felt her skin singe angrily and she bit her inner cheek as she endured the pain as she tried to force him to turn to look at her. His golden gaze settled on her as she flinched at the complete lack of empathy but she shook her head at him angrily.

"I can't leave you now," Kaoru protested stubbornly. "Let's go— _anywhere_ but here, but I can't let you be alone if the entire government is going to come after you—" She grunted when she felt his free hand reach up to gently pry him from her grasp. She felt a surge of warmth through her body, that same magic that he occasionally used on her, and she felt it pool on her clavicle in a curious way that seemed to be like an invisible brand upon her pale skin. "— _Kenshin_!"

"Kaoru, I will not allow you to die, not _here_ or _anywhere_ that we may go," He rumbled as he tried to soften his gaze but failed to do so. "It will give me peace of mind to know that you're safe here and that you're able to live on knowing that my presence will not bring you more misfortune." His voice was harsh and unrecognizable to the girl as she reached out and snatched his elbow again out of sheer stubborn will. "Release me."

"Not until you tell me where you're going," She said angrily. "I have a right to—" Her voice was cut off as she collapsed to the ground, the yellow fabric of her shirt flowering with an angry crimson stain as a military police officer trained his own firearm on Kenshin. Her hand slid to the ground and hit it with a resounding thud and the redhead snarled angrily as he reached down and snagged Kaoru's nearly unconscious form, her eyes wide and round with shock, as he felt another wave of magic discharge from his body and surged towards the soldier. He could scent the blood that was starting to pool and soak through the fabric, a bullet-hole in her stomach a testament to the furthering of the tragedy that had already swept through Tereré.

He roared once again, a beast-like cry, as more thorns emerged and spurted from the ground and wrapped themselves around the soldier and held him in a strangling position. They dug into the delicate and supple flesh of his throat as he struggled against their hold to no avail, his limbs slowing their angry movements as he seized up, the whites of his eyes wild and ghastly. Kenshin spat out the blood that had accumulated within his throat as he looked down at Kaoru, whose chest was still rising and falling slowly, and he seemed uncertain as to what to do with her.

Setting her down onto the ground as he scoured the area for any immediate threats, he tried to dispel the magic that had settled around him but it would not budge despite his attempts. He had been privy to the fact that her touching of the blue flame had been enough to hurt her and he growled as he tried to summon the warmer and more docile magic that he knew was cowering within his soul, pressing his hands to her stomach desperately as he tried to fuse that very essence with her to at least trigger her body to start healing itself. He was unsure of human medical techniques and he knew trying to find Megumi and bring her back to this very spot would be a waste of time.

Kenshin let out an agonizing sound as he tried to channel more magic into her, the forms of an unconscious Kanryuu enveloped in a bed and blanket of thorns and a dead military police officer looking on with a whited stare. He was desperate as he tried to collect himself and calm his mind, his hands pushing into her stomach angrily as he tried to understand the perfect machine that was the flawed human body, but he was not succeeding as the darkness crept into his vision and threatened to pull him under. He wanted to resist, he wanted to rebel, and he wanted to ensure that Kaoru was alive before he was pulled away, but the blackness refused to yield and it swarmed his vision as he felt himself collapse against the ground, his body sinking into the scorched earth as those his flesh and blood were mere air and he felt his body drop off the edge of the deepest end of any conscious understanding of the human world.

Kaoru, rasping as she heard someone shout her name, closed her own eyes as she felt a pair of familiar hands on her body, her mind begging Kenshin to return despite having been swallowed by the unforgiving earth.

* * *

A/N: Background soundtrack is the OST for Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.

So, Misao finally makes her appearance! That's a good milestone to have reached. :) Thank you all that have reviewed, they make my day! Even if you're just stopping by to say 'hello', please go ahead! It keeps us writing afterall.


	18. Chapter 18

Book II

Menydh

Mountain

Chapter XVIII

Bleak

"May your journey overflow with uncertainty and decisions."

* * *

"You got a telegram, runt," The elderly storekeeper grunted at the spiky haired youth that was glowering at him with an even stare as he hesitantly pressed a coin into the worn wood of the counter as the clerk released the paper into his grasp. He took a hesitant few steps back as he eyed the storekeeper before turning his back to him and exiting from the run-down general store that was the seeming backbone to the small Southern village of Chutororo. He took a sharp corner and crouched down in the shadows of the small alleyway, a cautious glance around to ensure he was alone as he peeled open the paper and let his eyes pour over the text.

 _ **Fire in the North.**_

 _ **Come for warm tea.**_

 _ **Ro**_

"What the _actual_ fuck?" He grunted as he read the message various times, trying to understand what Ro was getting at. He and Ro had been born in the same village but years apart: her leading him by nearly eight, but she had been a kindred spirit to the heated soul of a warrior that the boy possessed. She had gifted him his first small weapon with the promise that he would learn how to use it properly to defend himself and not to harm others. She had moved away when her husband had moved her to the North and it was rare that she was able to send any form of communication his way down South. He had managed to get a hold of her once to advise her that he had moved to the small and sparsely populated enclave of Chutororo where he worked odd jobs for whoever was willing to shell out a few coins to him. Ro had asked him many times to join her up North, her house was empty and there were plenty of industrial jobs where he could learn something useful, but he'd refused her thousands of times, content with staying down in the warmer South. Now she had the gall to invite him up to the North? He shook his head in mild disbelief.

"Come for tea? She's _insane_ ," Yahiko muttered to himself as he crumpled the paper and tucked it within the loose sleeves of his robes that allowed movement and comfort under the blistering sun. Yahiko had been alerted to the fact that he'd received an incoming telegraph from Terere and he had a glimpse of hope that it was a declaration that she was moving back down South to avoid the North and its plague of cold winters but he felt an inkling of disappointment that she required him for what he was best at doing: collecting information and pulling the network of contacts that he had. Her personal invitation to come visit her in the North was heavy with the obligation of cooperation and Yahiko bristled at the thought of it.

"Something bugging you?" He snorted as he looked up and found Misao staring down at him with a curious look on her face, a piece of sugar cane tucked between her teeth as she nibbled at it thoughtfully. Misao was another emigrate from a village in the deep South and she had been drawn to Yahiko, much to his displeasure. She had admitted that they were the only ones close in age and that she admired his fiery spirit, only having held him in a fairly tight headlock as they brawled between themselves for practice sport, and he had begrudgingly allowed himself to consider her a friend despite their heated arguments.

"Ro wrote," Yahiko replied neutrally.

"Oh? Anything interesting?" Ro and Misao knew of each other and had met once but were hardly in the bounds of relationships.

"Nothing much, just she wanted me to know she's still alive," Yahiko answered sarcastically as he felt the paper weigh heavily from within its confines against the heftiness of such a lie. "She hasn't written in a while."

"I guess they're busy up North with all the industry expansion and their production output," Misao said thoughtfully as she cupped her chin in her hands and crouched down next to Yahiko. "I haven't heard too much coming from up there, but it's normal that they have some sort of busy peak given that they have to meet Central's quotas or not eat. Sucks."

"It's just like us with the agriculture," Yahiko pointed out with a bored look. They were in a low period given that the crops had already been harvested, sorted, counted, and shipped to Central to be redistributed amongst the four cardinal civilizations, but Yahiko was aware that they would start soon again and repeat the same song and dance that Central had them bobbing along to as always. "Just like the coast and the mines."

"Guess so," Misao offered by ways of response as she carefully removed the piece of sugar cane from her mouth and inspected it with a careful eye. "Dunno, something seems a bit... _off_ to me—doesn't it to you?"

" _Off_?" Yahiko repeated as he turned to look at her with a hardened stare. "What do you mean by 'off'?"

"Like, there's something bad that's going to happen," She rephrased as she stuck the sugarcane back in her mouth, satisfied that she was able to still procure some of the sweet nectar from within the cane as she worked at it with her teeth and tongue. "Things are a bit too quiet around here—even the patrollers are saying that they haven't seen any activity around these parts in the last few days." The patrollers in Chutororo were not a permanent fixture and they only passed through once or twice a week given that the village was fairly isolated and distant from the next biggest one. Chutororo was lucky to avoid having contact with most vizinhos and the government did not see it fit to have a patrolling division stationed in such a small hamlet of a place.

"Huh," Yahiko replied. "Can't say that I've been paying attention… but now that you mention it, it does feel like things are a bit more tense." He tilted his head as he stared at the brick wall that was in front of them as the shadows crept over his face, dancing and playing with the light on his skin. "Probably the weather."

"Could be," Misao answered lazily as she folded her hands on her lap and sighed as she rested the back of her head against the wall, her light robes falling around her. Yahiko glanced over at her momentarily, his eyebrows arching as he caught sight of her shoes and how they were damp and discoloured with what looked like to be some sort of pinkish silt.

"Been down in the springs again?" He enquired as he jerked his head at her shoes, to which she lifted her leg to examine her shoe with a passive look upon her face. Yahiko's reference to the secluded springs a few kilometres from the village was another reference for Misao's tendency to spend a lot of time bumbling around the surrounding territory, still under Chutororo jurisdiction, and vanishing for stretches of time without saying a word. She always came back so Yahiko had ceased to worry about what she was doing and she seemed quite content to wander about without anyone paying attention to her. He had never bothered to enquire after he realized that she would be tight-lipped about it and he pushed it from his mind.

"Yep, they've got a lot more sulphur this year," She replied casually. "I went to deep my feet in—they hurt from the last few days." Misao had been roped into helping another shopkeep doing inventory of the government rations, given that Chutororo was too small to have a proper Delegation to do the task themselves, and she had been running about the shop as she yanked things from shelves or shoved them into overcrowded ones. She had been singing the alphabet song while trying to file away papers and citizens' documents, bent down for long hours on her knees, and she had been running from door to door to verify that the residents were still the same quantity and present on the household registrations.

"Huh," Yahiko replied again, a habit he had cultivated when he had nothing else to contribute to a discussion.

"It looks like everyone's rations have been cut again," Misao remarked as she narrowed her eyes. "Even a household of five—two adults and three children—they are barely receiving enough to tide them over for a week. I saw a kid who was all skin and bones." Yahiko chose to remain silent, he himself aware of the fact that the rations had been cut given that he had been given much less than normal for his household of one, and he had spent a bit of time trying to reason if he needed to eat two or three meals a day.

"I knew things were going to get worse this year, but not _this_ bad, and it pisses me off, you know?" She removed the sugarcane from her mouth and pitched it angrily further into the alleyway. "Central has _everything_ going for them—I saw the numbers from what was shipped up to them with the crops—yet they can't afford to feed the ones who give them the food in the first place. How messed up is that?" Yahiko grunted his agreement, careful with his words for any ears that could be listening, but he knew that the girl was right that Central was doing itself no favours by basically spiting the very source of its resources. He, too, had been aware of the numbers but had complied with the fact that they were pocketing a lot of resources to be spread around the Capital residents and he himself had snuck a few extra things here and there to keep in case of emergencies.

"Did Ro say anything about how things are going in the North? They've probably got it worse than we do," Misao asked as she tilted her head at Yahiko. Misao knew Ro, having met her through Yahiko briefly, and Yahiko could have sworn that she and Ro were nearly identical in personality from time to time. Despite the fact they had, had limited contact, they would speak with the same trepidation or determination and their quicksilver personalities were a danger to those around them.

"Not really, no," Yahiko answered. "Just something about a fire."

"A fire?" Misao repeated as she gave him a dumbfounded look. "I find it hard to believe that they're having forest fires in winter. It's all snow and rain up there anyway: even if there was a fire, it would be put out right away." The younger girl crossed her arms over her chest as she gave Yahiko a probing look, determined to test to see if he had more information. Just as Yahiko was skilled at obtaining information on his own according, having learned who to talk to and where to ask for certain things, Misao herself was hardly a slacker and could give him a run for his money in terms of gathering information.

"Never said it was a forest fire," Yahiko said cautiously. "Just ' _fire'_."

"Still," Misao insisted. "Worse than here."

"Yeah," Yahiko agreed, letting it slide that she did not catch his indirect implication. "Dunno, she's not going to come back, so whatever. She's grown too attached to Tereré." Misao inclined her head in response as she pushed herself to her feet and extended her hand down to Yahiko who stared at it for a moment before rising to his feet on his own. Misao retracted her hand as she rolled on the balls of her feet, her braid swinging like an extended tail.

"What are you up to this afternoon?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Not much, haven't got any jobs lined up," Yahiko replied steadily as he ensured that the paper was securely tucked away within his sleeves before he emerged from the alleyway as he sent Misao a half bored look. "Why?"

"No reason," She answered smoothly as she gave him a friendly smile and waved away his concern. Misao watched as he gave her another unimpressed look before he grumbled a 'goodbye' and hunkered towards the small hut that he inhabited by himself. Misao stood waiting for him to vanish within his humble abode, her smile never removed from her face although her mind was racing quickly. She knew that pops was waiting for her to return to the spring with a few things such as bandages and a certain herb that was sold in the general store but she did not wish to rise Yahiko's suspicion at her bizarre purchases. Misao had only returned to Chutororo for a brief moment before she would pass to the other side with the goods that had been requested and she wanted to ensure that Yahiko had seen her face in case someone asked about her whereabouts after having disappeared for a good moment.

"Fire," She repeated as she felt her mind wander over to the red-headed man that was floating in the spring and allowing its healing properties to work their subtle magic on his body. He reeked of charring and burning from non-natural materials and he also stank of gunpowder, an odd smell even in the human world, and she frowned as she found her mind connecting dots that she was unsure were ready to be unified. Misao found herself trying to avoid acknowledging that the mere thought of a fire in the North would be related to the stranger drifting in pop's spring but she knew that this world was a horribly crafty and illogical plain.

"Huh," She found herself saying aloud, mimicking Yahiko's own utterances in the face of not having anything to outwardly say. " _Huh_."

* * *

"Now, Missy, you gotta at least change your clothes," Sanosuked tried to reason with a blank eyed Kaoru who was staring down at her lap, an ignored bowl of potato gruel pushed to the side and her hair hanging limply over her shoulders. She had not had a proper shower in nearly a week, despite Megumi's best attempts to sponge the sweat and grime from her, and she felt as though she were caked in unseen crud that weighed her down uncomfortably.

"She'll do it when she's ready," Megumi said breezily as she moved across the room to reach for a small pair of sewing scissors, looping her fingers through the eyes to ensure that she could manipulate them to her will. Seemingly satisfied, she shoved Sanosuke aside with a jut of her hip and she reached for Kaoru's arm, turning it upwards to expose the angry stitches that had been crisscrossing the expanse of her notable wounds. "First thing's first; we're taking these stitches out. You've pulled at them enough anyway." Kaoru did not lift her head in acknowledgement, only slightly wincing as Megumi snipped away mechanically at the stitches as they all fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"Lift your shirt," Megumi commanded softly as she gave Sanosuke a warning look to turn around or to abandon the room. Kaoru complied slowly as she lifted her shirt to expose the wound that had nearly healed on her stomach, a tingling sensation had housed itself in that area as though nibbling at the circumference of the gruesome wound. It did not hurt her in any way and it was almost balmy as she laid quietly in bed, nestled underneath the quilt her mother had left her, as she thought about everything and nothing simultaneously.

Megumi's cooler hands bumped against sensitive flesh and Kaoru shivered but remained silent as she let the doctor conduct her work in peace. Sanosuke was brooding, that much Kaoru was aware of, and she knew there were many things that he wanted to say but was biting him tongue out of respect for her or because Megumi had refused to allow him the opportunity to speak. She knew that the older patroller was less than thrilled with what had happened and it had been him that had scooped her unconscious form from the ground as their village burned around them. Megumi had insisted that the children were safe, Ro had herded them away from the nucleus of danger, but Kaoru felt her dreams tormented with the disfigured faces of the village's youngest citizens staring at her with empty ocular sockets.

Ro had been by twice to check on her and the blonde flashed her sympathetic looks that pained Kaoru beyond any understanding that she had, had before of the grieving process with the exception of the disappearance of her father. Kaoru felt as though an old record was playing on a constant loop at the reminder that Kenshin had vanished into nothingness, leaving nothing for her to mourn as a reminder of whatever had happened when she drifted into an unconscious state. Ro had tried to give her neutral answers that were designed to not upset Kaoru but had given up when Kaoru had bit her lip and refused to even acknowledge her friend. Ro had finally rose to her feet and rested a reassuring hand on Kaoru's shoulder before slipping through the narrow doorway and vanishing down the hallway, exiting the house without saying a word to Sanosuke or Megumi.

The news that had been filtered to her was bleak: Kanyruu had been comatose and transported to Central's hospital and Enishi had vanished from the village, presumed to have returned to Central to scheme and plot whatever he was going to do with Kenshin if he was caught. The village had been destroyed and the already grimly small population was shrunk once again as the body count mounted day after day, burned bodies reduced to mere bones and mangles of flesh being discovered as volunteers picked through the remains of what had been the more central area of Terere. All patrolling had been suspended given that the Longhouse had suffered damage and Tae was desperate to take inventory of the weapons that had vanished into the hands of goodness-knows-who and most of the forges and factories had also been temporarily closed. Rations had stopped coming in from the distribution centre and there had been looting of houses that had managed to withstand the fire, residents wary of those who were attempting to burglarize certain districts.

Megumi had been ducking in and out of Kaoru and Sanosuke's home, the medical brigade, as well as her family home and it showed on her face. Her eyes were ringed with black, her hands seemed a tad bit shakier, and she was even paler than normal. She had been volunteering her services and skill to the village, forgoing returning to Central for the moment, as she stitched up, rubbed salve into, as well as worked with patients with various stages of medical care required. Sanosuke would often accompany her back and forth to ensure that she made it to her destination safely but even he seemed more withdrawn and pensive than normal.

Most surprisingly had been when Captain Aoshi had graced the threshold of their household, his unmoving resolve seemingly a tad weaker than normal. He had enquired as to the possibility of visiting Kaoru, to which Sanosuke relented, and he had sat with his subordinate for a spell. They had been silent as they regarded each other: Aoshi knowing things that she was certain were better that he did not know but he did not speak or criticize her actions or the illegality of having housed Kenshin within Terere without reporting him. Aoshi, despite his brutal training regimens and high levels of discipline, also despised Central in his own way as he refused to bend to their will. Kaoru knew that he was coordinating patrollers around the village as it burned to the ground and she was grateful that his quick actions, combined with Sanosuke's impulsive stab at leadership, had reduced the number of causalities greatly.

"You are on medical leave until your doctor clears you," Aoshi finally spoke. "Take as much time as you need, Kamiya, given that these circumstances are hardly outlined in protocol. I'll see to it personally that you are paid your wages and receive your rations." Kaoru nodded at him mutely in thanks before settling back against the pillows, her azure eyes closing as she wished to avoid the Captain's empty gaze. When the scraping of the chair and closing of the door signalled that he had taken his leave, Kaoru had opened her eyes once more as she blinked wearily and tried to calm her racing nerves by counting the chips in the wooden ceiling.

"Well, that looks to be all of it," Megumi announced as she laid the scissors down at the foot of the bed and examined the remains of the wound on Kaoru's stomach. While guns and firearms were typical in Central, they were rarely used up in the North given that they were in short supply as well as a lack of trust of providing the more rebellious group with any sort of weapon that could cause significant damage. Megumi had studied how to treat bullet wounds, which tended to be fatal in most cases, but she knew that there was something residing within Kaoru's body that was helping her along and her growing suspicion that it had been Kenshin's magic helping to fend off and batter back the infection as well as to close the wound in a jagged way had been confirmed more or less. She did not know exactly how to work with a human body that had been forcibly infused with magic and Megumi had been jotting notes down in her personal records to see if she could determine anything of interest.

"You want to come downstairs?" Sanosuke asked as he turned around to stare down at the younger patroller. "It's warmer near the fire."

"Yes, I think that's a good idea, get you out of this room," Megumi answered on Kaoru's behalf. Sanosuke slowly peeled back the blankets that had been covering her legs and he crouched down as he scooped her up into his arms, settling her weight so it was distributed evenly and comfortably. Kaoru made no move to protest as she allowed herself to be taken from the sanctuary of her bed and carried down the rickety staircase that seemed to sag even more than she remembered. Megumi was flitting behind Sanosuke and she supervised as Sanosuke gently deposited Kaoru onto the sofa with superhuman ease, arranging her legs so that she was comfortable.

"I'll go make some tea then," Megumi said as she moved her way over to the kitchen, banging around as she ground a few herbs that Sanosuke must have been sent to collect from the foot of the mountain. Sanosuke himself was shrugging into his cloak as he grunted at the material brushing over a burn uncomfortably, knowing that the skin would be blistered for a while despite Megumi's best attempts.

"Where are you going?" Megumi called from the kitchen.

"Out," Sanosuke replied briskly. "I'll be back in a bit. I have to see to something with a bastard from the Eastern block." Megumi gave him a knowing look of disapproval for Sanosuke's dealings with less than savoury characters but she knew that a lot of the smaller luxuries that Kaoru and Sanosuke had came from his lack of shame of dealing with individuals of less than stellar caliber. Sanosuke exited the house, the front door groaning against him pushing against it, and it was just Kaoru and Megumi left in the confines of the modest home.

"Now, tea it is," Megumi said to herself more than to Kaoru as she dumped the herbs into a filtering bag. As she rested the bag within a teapot to float and steep, she turned her attention to Kaoru who had taken to fiddling with her hair. The ends were singed, charred, and frayed from the scramble a week prior and they were heavily matted to the point that even Megumi's handiwork would be unable to save her locks. Megumi crossed her arms as she leaned against the counter, her vulpine stare intense as she contemplated what to do with her silent patient that refused to speak. She knew that Kaoru was in horrible shock and would be for a while given that she had just tasted a sense of normalcy, but there was a nagging sensation that was driving her to say something to Kaoru to rouse her from her self imposed emotional exile and seek out what she knew they all had on the tip of their tongues but did not dare to utter.

"Kaoru, I just wanted to—" Megumi cut herself short as she found that Kaoru's heavy stare was looking at her in acknowledgement, her normally bright blue eyes seeming dulled and lifeless. "—Let you know that you should drink this tea," Megumi finished lamely as she found herself cursing inwardly at how she could properly address the situation at hand without triggering any sort of backlash from Kaoru.

" _Alright_ ," Kaoru whispered in a raspy voice, Megumi turning away in horror at being unable to recognize her friend in such a disheartened state.

* * *

Misao flipped her braid over her shoulder as she navigated through the open field of golden wheat, her feet rushing as she felt the weight of the sack rest against her back as a reminder of the urgency of pops' request for supplies from Chutororo. She had been quick in sneaking into the general store and procuring the supplies that he had sent her to fetch and she had slammed down a few coins on the counter for the auntie that she had helped with inventory of stock. Misao had been too far out the door to hear the feeble woman's cries of 'your change!' as she hit the path that would lead her on the winding trail through the fields of the open plains towards the mineral springs that were a few kilometres from the village.

As her target destination came into view, she pushed an extra spring into her step as she took a cautious look around to see if there was anyone nearby—but there never was. The spring was too isolated from the village and was too tucked away within the tangles of plants for people to take much notice. Yahiko was aware of it because she had taken him there to soak in the waters when he had been particularly bruised and beaten by a larger boy but they rarely spoke of it. He knew never to question Misao and her daily activities that flew under the village's radar and she never volunteered much information either.

Pushing her hips through the gathering of reeds, she grunted as she felt her balance nearly slip on a damp rock but she regained her balance as she rested a hand on her hip and adjusted her sack with the other one. With a satisfied snort, she stepped down into the spring as she felt the water soak through her already damp shoes and her clothes and she inhaled deeply before submerging her head beneath the burning and scalding hot spring water that reddened her skin upon contact. As her body sunk towards the bottom, she searched for the right access point that she needed and located it nestled between two larger stones. Moving downwards as she felt her lungs complain at the dwindling oxygen, she touched her hand to the stone as she closed her eyes, the warmth of the spring being replaced with that of curious magic that wrapped itself around her in a coiling form and slowly separated her from the human plain and welcomed her back to the other side.

As she opened her eyes in the spring water of the other side, she kicked herself from the bottom of the spring, her head burst through the waters as she inhaled oxygen greedily and blinked away the burn from her eyes. Starting a neat stroke towards the bank of the spring, she felt the bag floating next to her and she was happy to have wrapped it protectively in the sack that pops had provided her to ensure that water would not ruin its contents. As she dragged herself to the shore, she found the figure of said older man looking down at her with a gentle smile as he reached out and offered his hand, pulling her up.

"That was fast," He remarked lightly as the girl wrung water from her shirt and gave the elder a crooked smile. "You didn't have problems getting what I asked for?"

"None in the least," She replied dutifully. "Although your shopping list gets a bit longer each time, pops. It's hard with the rations but I managed to get the auntie to give me what I needed without too many questions." Pops nodded sagely as he gestured for Misao to follow him as they picked their way though what looked to be a field dotted with various springs that gurgled smugly as they moved towards pops' humble accommodations on the edge of one of the bigger springs that housed some fairly formidable carp and water based vizinhos.

"I know you weren't there for long, but did you manage to pick up any news?" Pops enquired as they reached the neat patio of his house, both of them removing their shoes and Misao plopping down as she handed over her sack to the man. "There's been some rumbles about things happening in the West and a lot of the vinzinhos are anxious."

"Nothing in the South to report on," Misao answered. "However, apparently, there was a fire in the North."

"In the North?" Pops repeated. "Is that so?"

"Yep," Misao said with a nod.

"How did you get that information?" Misao ceased wringing out her clothes momentarily as she glanced back at the elder who had busied himself with emptying the sack of its contents onto a low table.

"Yahiko," She replied carefully. Pops had never met Yahiko but knew of him because Misao had told him about the young fighter's reputation as well as his ability to get his hands on much needed information when needed. Pops had asked if Misao would like for Yahoo to come for a visit on the other side but she had never relayed the message to the human boy given that she was cautious about having those who did not quite understand approaching the very boundary that pops fought so hard to protect and keep hidden. Yahiko had never been extremely vocal about what his opinions were with regards to the other side but Misao was not going to risk exposing pops' sanctuary and hidden hovel away from the eyes of Central.

"And where did he get such information?"

"In a telegram from the North, a friend of his," Misao answered as she omitted the fact that she, too, knew Ro but only in passing. "Not much else, really, I wasn't there long enough to find out."

"I suppose not," Pops said with a sigh as he began to organize the goodies on the table, touching and holding up the herbs for closer inspection. "These are not as high quality as they used to be—shame, really. I might have to double the dosage to make them effective for our visitor."

"How is he doing anyway?" Misao asked as she stripped her outer shirt away and flattened it out towards where the sunlight would dry it out. She was sporting a sleeveless undershirt that was much more comfortable and allowed the warmth of the bizarre sun to warm her skin without burning it like it did on the human plain. "Has he woken up?"

"He's still asleep but his vital signs seem to be much more active than they were yesterday," Pops replied as he examined the bandages that Misao had brought from the other side. He refolded them and set them aside as he moved towards a small shelf where he gathered a few other oddities and brought them to the table. "I'm going to make a salve for some of the burns on his right hand."

"You said they were burns from an overuse of magic, right?" Misao enquired as she kicked her legs outwards and stretched them, her muscles singing praises as she yawned in the warmth of the sunlight as the spring bubbled nearby. "Wonder what happened for him to have been pushed to such an extremity—probably wasn't nice."

"I agree whole heartedly," Pops remarked as he began to grind a nasty looking aquatic plant against the stone tablet, his hands working the tools with a practiced expertise that Misao had only just begun to appreciate. "However, his body must heal on its own: this is just to help ease the discomfort on a surface level. His body is healing with the help of the spring, too, but it's not nearly enough, I'm afraid."

" _Oh_?" Misao hummed.

"You should really pay attention if you are to be my successor," Pops said dryly as he lobbed a stray piece of clumped weed at Misao, who caught it easily and played with it between her fingers. "And yes, even with the spring's healing properties, the severity of his expenditure of magic outweighs any significant impact the waters can have. For now we can just make him comfortable and wait it out." He resumed grinding the combination of herbs as he listened to Misao humming in her throat as she trained her gaze on the distant spring that was shaded with large camphor trees and she could make out the static form of the redheaded man floating on the surface.

"Do you know what he is?"

"Unfortunately, I couldn't even begin to tell you," Pops answered lightly as he ceased grinding momentarily to wipe a bead of sweat from his brow. "If I didn't know by the burns and runes on his hand, I could have sworn he was a human." Misao gave the old man a curious look over her shoulder but she returned her gaze to the stilled form on the water. "He doesn't seem to be malignant, if that's your concern, and he seems a bit misguided if anything."

"Misguided, huh? Just like most of us," She mused as she found her lips pulling into a half hearted smile, she herself having been referred to the same name by pops when he had first stumbled across her a few years ago. "Well, anyway, I hope he wakes up soon. Maybe he can tell us a bit more about what's happening? Dropping in un-announced and all."

"Perhaps," Pops grumbled as he finished his grinding and brushed the find green and blue powder into a small glass vial. "Go dump this into the water around him and see if we have any luck." Misao reached over and accepted the vial as she pushed herself to her feet and jogged over towards the edge of the distant pool. She noticed that his body had drifted towards the centre of the open water and she huffed as she rolled up her pants and dipped her toe into the water to test the temperature. Slowly sinking the rest of her feet into the water, she moved quickly over the rocky bottom as the water sloshed against her waist as she carefully approached the slumbering red head. She inverted the vial into the water around him, sprinkling it around his frame as the water dissolved the powder and absorbed it, bubbling in thanks for the offer of such delicious herbs and said it would put them to good use to help the stranger in its water.

Misao sighed as she retreated from the water and looked over at pops, who had been passively observing from the patio, and she settled onto the bank of the spring as she set the glass vial to the side. Curling her legs upwards, she tilted her head as she considered the floating figure donning human clothing riddled with geometric shapes. She knew that he was in good hands with pops who had no horse in the race of causing anyone harm but there was something that niggled at her mind as she tried to avoid connecting the dots that had surfaced in her earlier conversation with Yahiko.

" _Misao_!" Pops' voice called out and she yanked her head up to find him gesturing for her to return to his shack. "Come have some lunch!"

"Coming!" She called back as she snatched up the vial and took off towards the shack, abandoning the spring momentarily as she padded her way over the soft moss and towards pops' home, lured by the promise of a meal.

* * *

Tomoe was sitting within the plush interior of the carriage, her almond shaped eyes studying warily the form of her brother who was silent as he regarded her over his glasses. She had not been present at the festival, opting to tuck herself away into hiding, but she had been tracked down by Enishi when the fires had started. She knew that her brother always kept tabs on her movements and migrations through the country—he had always had issues with being separated from her—and when he had pulled up in the lush carriage and ordered that she climb in, she had not questioned or rebelled against him.

They were making their way down one of the old trade routes that had once united the North, the East, and Central before the use of the train became more popular and only loggers and a few other lower industry workers used the worn paths. The ride was bumpy as the lack of care and love for the trails was evident and Tomoe found herself wincing occasionally at the flares of pain that crawled up and down her back. Enishi's staff had stocked the carriage with anticipation and there were rations of water and light morsels of food that were to tide them over on the journey to the Capital.

"You've know about the Vestige this entire time, sister," Enishi finally spoke as he found the silence unbearable and suffocating.

"I've known about many things this entire time," She replied icily. "However, I am in no position to volunteer such information to individuals who are destined to throw off the equilibrium of both worlds. Your actions in the village are going to have much heavier repercussions than you anticipate." Her eyes were alert as she considered her brother's form, lounging opposite her, and she found herself disgusted and horrified with him.

"Yet you've spoken to that Southern woman about a certain Miss. Kamiya," Enishi pointed out with a crooked smile that was anything but jovial and friendly. "You can speak to mere servants to the State but not your own brother?"

"You speak of Southerners as though we were mere scum at the bottom of a pond, brother, please do remember that you are a Southerner by birth and do not have all the trappings of a true citizen of Central," Tomoe said sharply as her look faded into one of disdain. "It was favourable for me to use Ro as a catalyst to get the message to Miss. Kamiya as opposed to directly approaching her. They have a special relationship that, yes, I exploited in the interest of ensuring that all the pieces were in place."

"Yet you refused me," Enishi hissed angrily.

"You are not destined to have the information you seek," Tomoe countered cryptically. "All that can be seen in your future is retribution for the actions that you have set off, brother, and from that I cannot protect you."

"Protect me?" Enishi said with a sneer as he turned his head to the side to gaze out the window and study the passing landscape. "I've been the one trying to protect you, sister, from the cruel fate of having the third eye that allows you to see beyond things that we do not understand on this Earth. Everything I've done has been to protect you and keep you alive."

"Including your relentless pursuit of the Vestige?" He turned to look at her numbly. "That comes from not your desire to ensure my safety but your own selfish reasons and desire to control power on both this plain and the other side." Tomoe fell silent as she reached down to adjust the cuff of her sleeve so that it stopped rubbing against the delicate flesh of her inner wrist. "I refuse to allow you to use me as your excuse to destroy villages and slaughter vizinhos in your attempts to track down the Vestige. Even this ploy has failed and you had Kanyruu face to face with him."

"Kanyruu is a fool," Enishi retorted.

"He was a loyal fool to you and your ideology," Tomoe pointed out as she gave him a bored look. "And your fool was unable to secure a hold on the Vestige that stood a mere metre from him. You are not destined to capture something that embodies the spirit of freedom."

"Sister, you are dearly loved by myself, but fate is something that we ourselves can also alter if we are to play the cards right with the information and knowledge we have," Enishi spoke. "Science also allows us to do so much more these days—"

"—Have you not questioned the fact that fate herself has allowed us to advance this far because that is how we are supposed to evolve as a race?" Tomoe cut him off aggressively. "You fail to see the greater panorama, Enishi, and I will not stand for your actions." She narrowed her eyes at him once again as she scowled and found him smiling at her with a sickly fondness that made her stomach churn nervously.

"You're tired, sister, why don't we continue this conversation within the comfort of our home in Central?"

"In your home," Tomoe corrected sharply. "That manor is not my home—my home is far to the South away from the claws of Central." Enishi's face did not shift but he silenced himself as he closed his eyes, resting his cheek in one hand as he leaned against the window. Tomoe knew that this was his way of ending the conversation and he would not engage her again until he wished to do so. She leaned back heavily against the plush cushioned seat of the carriage as she found herself cursing the course of action that this entire situation had taken with regards to the Vestige.

* * *

One more chapter to close out 'Mountain' and then we move into the third arc. This is going to be a slow burn (as the youths call it) and I'm taking to task the idea of writing a more extensive piece as an exercise. English is far from my native language but it keeps me sharp (thus, please forgive my misuses of vocabulary!)

Also, a few of you in the reviews think that pops is Okina! He's not, I promise!

Blanket statement as always, I don't own the characters. Don't forget to review!


	19. Chapter 19

Book II

Menydh

Mountain

Chapter XVIIII

Floating World

"May your journey overflow with dreams and reality."

* * *

It was dark, cold, and damp and Kaoru shivered as she tightened her hold on the cloak that she was wearing around her shoulders, her arms too numb to have been shoved into the sleeves. The cloak was shorter than the ones from the North and she found herself feeling vulnerable and exposed as she desperately wished that she had her own cloak that reached down to the backs of her ankles. Her naked feet were also struggling to take steps forward in the darkness as she found herself glancing around nervously through the inky murky black veil settled around her.

She tried to take an experimental step forward and she gasped as she planted her foot onto what she assumed was solid ground but discovered was warm water. The water rippled around her foot, a greenish hue to it that was magical as it was unnerving, and she took another step forward as she sent more rippling skittering over the surface. The green light that they gave off slowly faded and she took a few more steps as she realized that the water did not deepen and remained licking at her ankles, teasing her cool skin with its warm temperatures. Kaoru had never quite been to such a place before and had never seen such phenomena and she found herself trying to not give into the temptation of splashing around for the sake of making it happen again and again.

Kaoru slowly reached down with a palm outstretched, her fingers painfully stiff, as she rested the palm of her hand on the surface of the water and swallowed heavily, the green light flickering around her fingers as the water bubbled lightly in response to her caresses. The light seemed to crawl up her arm like a gentle vine as it wrapped and coiled before vanishing into her skin, leaving it tingling and much warmer than it was before. She was utterly fascinated with the bizarre green light in the water and she reached down to touch it again, moving her hand to slap a bit of water to see how far the light traveled across the surface. Satisfied that it seemed to transfer the distance that she splashed, she continued to move gradually through the warm water aimlessly, unsure to what she was doing or where she was. There was nothing dangerous that set off any red flags for her and she seemed content to muddle about in this bizarre place.

She was about to take another step forward when a trail of greenish light shot across the water and she whirled around, kicking up more as she rounded on her heel and came face to face with the intruder in this private moment. Her eyes widened as she found her hands coming up to cup over her mouth, her facing paling even more in the low lighting that was fading away into nothingness.

The person that stood before her was watching her with interested violet eyes as he tilted his head, a loose red strand of hair freeing itself from his haphazard ponytail. He was dressed in the same clothes that he had departed with, tattered remains of white cloak and pants hanging from him like party streamers, but the angry molten stare had long vanished as she saw the same soft face that he had always had prior to that attack on the village. He was blinking at her as though confused as to why she was there and she took a hesitant step backwards as though this were some elaborate trap designed to ensnare her and rip her away.

"Wait," He called out cautiously, seemingly unused to his voice as a flicker of confusion danced across his face.

"K-Kenshin?" She stammered heavily through her hands, still wary of approaching him. She tilted her head to the side as she tried to will back the tears that threatened to leak from her vast blue eyes.

"Kenshin?" He repeated slowly, a foreign name on his tongue. "Who's that? Who are you?" Kaoru's hands dropped from her mouth as she felt the world slip away from her as the darkness pulled at her back, a warning to get away from him. She gawked at him owlishly as the tears began to stream down her cheeks and leave silvery trails as she shook her head before letting out a bellow that was choking and straggled.

"T-That's n-not funny," Kaoru said around the tears as she felt her hands ball into fists.

"It was not meant to be, that is was not," Kenshin replied as he gave her a baffled look. "This one's name is not—"

"— _Stop_!" She barked out as she took a tentative step towards him, one of her hands reaching out as she wished desperately to be able to snag a tattered remain of the cloak. "This is not the time for j-jokes!" She was on the edge of breaking down as blue eyes met violet ones and she felt a look of guilt flash against his face as he raised his hands in self defence and to show that he was empty handed.

"Why are you crying? It was just a question," He said meekly as his face saddened at having made such a young woman cry with his words. He was extremely confused and disoriented as he watched the green lights shoot across the water as her wet footsteps drew closer. She was a beautiful enigma of a woman that seemed to let her expressions dictate her emotions as she closed in on him with big azure eyes that were ringed with a harsh redness to them, her hair fluttering around her as she closed the distance.

"You really don't recognize me?" She questioned starkly as her eyes shimmered in the low light, catching flashes of green as she eyed him nervously. She licked her lips and he found his gaze drawn to them before he shifted his eyes back up to meet her stare. She was obviously hurting emotionally and Kenshin was unsure as how to help her as he felt himself wanting to stop her suffering but was unsure as to how to comfort this stranger before him.

"This one does not… sorry," He offered lamely as he bowed his head. "But you seem to know who this one is?" Kaoru's eyes widened as her knees buckled, sinking down into the warm water as she took deep halting breathes to try and recenter herself before she continued to speak. It was a harsh slapping of her soul and she found herself unable to muster the words needed to begin to even scream out her frustrations and her own bewilderment at the situation. She was teetering dangerously on the brink of something that she knew was heartbreak and it threatened to shatter her into even more pieces.

"This one will leave if—"

"—You can't remember," Kaoru said sadly as she finally worked up the nerve to meet his dazed gaze once more. She was smiling at him sadly as she watched as he sunk down to his haunches in front of her, a nervous hand reaching out to try and wipe away the tears that were leaking and staining her already tired face. He was unsure as to why he wanted to go to such lengths to help this woman before him in this dark world but there was something within him that fluttered happily at the contact with her and sang joy as she allowed him to touch her face intimately.

"What is your name?" He asked slowly, his voice rough and gritty as he tried to make heads-or-tails of the bleak situation that only the woman in front of him seemed to be able to grasp and comprehend. She was quiet as she allowed him to rub his fingers in the corner of her eyes, dispelling the tears carefully, and she watched as they slid down the angle of her chin in careful contemplation as he truly seemed sincere in his lack of memory. Kaoru felt as though she'd been shoved back in time a few months at the same reactions and awe that he looked at her with and she swallowed heavily before replying with her surname only, "Kamiya."

" _Kamiya_ ," He repeated as he committed it to memory, repeating it a few times as though it were a mantra. "Miss. Kamiya." His hand slid to her shoulder gently and hesitantly but she did not flinch away from him as he expected the stranger to have done so. She was receptive to his touch and he was confused as to why she had called him 'Kenshin' when he himself was even unsure that his name was that.

"Miss. Kamiya… why did you call this one 'Kenshin'?" He dared to ask and she started at that before her muscles went lax.

"Because that's your name," She answered softly. "At least, that's the name that we were told was yours and you responded to it." She sighed heavily as she coughed, trying to free her throat from the gunk that had accumulated during her harsh crying. Kenshin gawked at her but thumped her upper back in the attempts to help her clear her throat properly.

"This one does not know who this one is," He finally confessed. "Miss. Kamiya says that she knows me—"

"—I _do_ ," She cut in sadly as she felt his hand slip away. "You… you were living with me. Sanosuke and me." Kenshin shook his head at the inability to recall such memories, his mind hazy and cloudy sans the urge to comfort this crying figure crouched before him. "Sanosuke and I are patrollers—well, it doesn't really matter what we are, does it?" A touch of sadness crept into her haggard voice as something tugged at her, like a child tugging at her mother's sleeve in the impatience to leave.

"Miss. Kamiya?" He looked at her with a startled expression as she began to fade away from him, her body slipping away from his as she sank into the depths of the water that was deceptively shallow. Her eyes were teary as she gave him a half sad smile that was not in the least bit reassuring and she vanished beneath the ebbing water that was alive with green wisps of light that criss-crossed like a network of angry highways upon the water's surface. He forced his hand beneath the surface but grunted when his knuckles hit a rocky bottom a mere few centimetres below him.

She had vanished, leaving him alone in the inky darkness of his own mind as well as the world around him and he found himself questioning what such a woman was capable of if she had been able to impact him in such a way.

"Kamiya," He repeated once again, before he himself faded away into nothingness.

* * *

Kenshin's eyes pried open as he found himself starting up at an expansive canopy of camphor trees that allowed pocketed streams of warm sunlight creep down and hit his body, warming him comfortably. He found that he was still suspended in the warm water, from the smell he determined it was some sort of hot spring of sorts, and his ragged clothes were billowing around him as they rode the gentle flow and ebb of the spring. His body was comfortably numb and satiated, seemingly energetic as his magic coursed beneath his skin and circulated through his body as it sang quietly to him.

He blinked once as his eyesight adjusted to the bizarre lighting of this world and he found himself touching his feet to the bottom, surprised that the spring was not too deep and he righted himself so that he was standing properly. Kenshin gazed around the spring's immediate area and was surprised to see that there were dozens of other pools of varying sizes dotting the landscape, all shaded by the large trees that loomed above him. The water was alive as it tingled and giggled like a child, seemingly pleased to have been able to comply with its role as it rippled around his thighs. The warm current was comforting and friendly and he found himself invigorated by the restorative properties that he was able to sense from the bubbling spring.

"So, you're awake," A voice drawled and he found himself staring at a young woman standing flush next to an elderly man. Both of them were dressed in light cotton clothes and they were carrying handcrafted buckets that were brimming with what looked like to be aquatic plants they had been harvesting. The young girl was eyeing him with a sense of judgement that would rival that of even the hardest of foes and the older man was regarding him with a calm and composed expression.

"Just in the nick of time, I reckon," The man commented to which the girl shot him a look before plastering Kenshin with her hardened stare. "I don't suppose you would be hungry, would you?" Kenshin felt his shoulders sink at their words: they spoke with strange accents that he felt that he had heard before but they were vastly different from each other. He was trying to work out what sort of relationship these two had and he found himself taking a halting step towards the bank where they were waiting patiently with their buckets.

"Hold on, aren't we going to try and see who he is first?" The girl asked as she shifted her bucket from one hip to the other as she looked down at the older man who was a head shorter than her. "We can't just go and invite him into your home like that, Pops!" The old man waved her away and gave Kenshin a patient nod that signalled that he was used to this young girl's constant barrage of questions but he had nothing to concern himself with. Kenshin slowly moved towards the shore, the clothes sticking to firm plains of muscle that also hinted at scars that had healed poorly. The girl's cheeks were slightly flushed as she could not bring herself to rip her eyes from his figure and the old man was studying his gait to see if Kenshin was limping or not.

"Nonsense, let him have a warm meal before we steer the conversation in that direction," The old man finally spoke as he reached out and extended a worn and withered hand to Kenshin. Kenshin stared at it before slowly accepting it, allowing the old man to pluck him from the spring as he found his two feet on land again. Kenshin glanced back at the spring that seemed to be lapping its waves against the banks, requesting that he return anytime to rest, and he felt a twinge of gratefulness towards the warm water that had allowed him to rest within its care. "C'mon, lad, let's get something in your stomach before you need to worry about any explanations."

"This one is sorry, but… what is this place?" Kenshin found himself asking as he felt his vocal cords extend and retract uncomfortably, seeming to have not been used for a significant while.

"There will be time for all the questions in the world, m'boy, but you really should eat _something_ before we start having those conversations," The old man repeated and Kenshin relented as he patted Kenshin's hand softly. "You had a rough crossing over, it's normal for you to have many doubts—for now, _please_ , just relax. There's plenty of time." The girl stomped by the redhead as she made her way through a thick clump of reeds, the bucket balanced on her head as though it were an absurd crown as she meandered her way through the plants. They were silent as they made their way towards the cozy shack that was nestled on the banks of the biggest spring and Kenshin did not fuss as the old man instructed him to take a seat on the patio and to just wait a moment while he heated some food that he had prepared that morning. Kenshin noticed that the girl had vanished from the immediate area and he sighed as he relented once again, leaning his back and shoulders against the wall that faced the spring as he stared out over the water.

The vision of the girl that had been hunkered down in the water was haunting to him: there was something painstakingly familiar about her that his mind refused to relinquish and he wished desperately that he could answer the questions that she had wanted to ask him. There was a warmth to those blue eyes that comforted and soothed his raging soul, that made the magic within his body sing and chirp in glee and yet he had the feeling that they had been closer than she had let on. She had seemed hesitant to answer his enquires and had started to answer one question before withdrawing her words and resigning herself to silence. Her figure, her eyes, and her gentleness, and the tears she shed were all things that he had felt he knew from somewhere but as he tried to dig around his mind, there was something that threw up a massive blockade and turned him away.

"Tea," The girl said abruptly as she slammed a cup onto the table and whirled away, disappearing into the shack. Kenshin, unsure as to where such hostility came from, studied the swirling liquid that was a bright reddish-orange and seemed laced with a white substance within it. He sniffed it carefully before replacing down on the table, waiting to see if the other two would drink it as well before he would partake in it. Just as he had finished setting it back on the table, both people emerged from the confines of the house and they were totting massive platters that seemed to be brimming with steaming dishes.

"Rice, spring carp cooked in herbs from the area, and some root vegetables," The old man explained as he set them down on the low table before sinking to the ground, his joints creaking angrily in protest at the daily abuse. "There's also a bit of bread, too, but that's from yesterday unfortunately. It might be a bit hard." Kenshin nodded in thanks as he watched the girl slump to the floor and begin to dole out the servings, not seeming to mind as she sloshed the sauces about and piled the food onto his plate.

"Now, you may ask some questions, but you need to be eating to recuperate a bit more strength," The old man said as he took a sip of his own tea, making a face as it scalded his tongue before setting it on the table. "I believe you had already asked one: what this place was, correct?"

"Yes," Kenshin responded as he reached for a fork and slowly began to cut the generous serving of fish into smaller pieces, halving it, than quartering it into neat equal pieces. "This place seems to be teaming with magic— _why_?" His body was hypersensitive and if he focused enough, he could see what appeared to be thin networks of magic that intersected, bisected, and criss-crossed across the landscape. The entire area was alive and seemed to bubble with charm, magic, and enchantments and his body, although in working order, seemed to react to the energy that sizzled in the air.

"This is sort of a middle way," The girl replied as she shoved an obscene amount of white rice into her mouth, her cheeks puffing outwards as she gave him an even stare. "This is the gateway to either the human plain or the other side… depending on how you look at it. The magic that tends to bleed over from the other side reaches us here and is absorbed into nature. It's the emerald land of eternal sunshine for a reason." She plopped another massive spoonful of rice into her mouth as she chewed it before adding, "Very few individuals live here, but it's not to say it's a bad place."

"It's a sacred transition point that I have taken on the task of maintaining as well as protecting to ensure that one side does not bleed too much into the other," The older man continued the explanation as Kenshin continued to cut the fish, this time into sixteen pieces. "I've been here for a few years now, but it's agreeable. From time to time we get visitors such as yourself that seem to drop in from one of the two plains. We tend to fix you up and send you on your way."

"What do you mean 'drop in'?" Kenshin asked as he carefully took a bite of the savoury fish and found it to his liking.

"What is sounds like— _Literally_ ," The girl replied as she pointed her fork at him. "I was out gathering plants for Pops and you sort of just dropped from a tree into the spring. Lucky you, you didn't hit your head on a rock or whatever. Pops has been taking care of you while your body was healing itself."

"You have been unconscious for about a week and you have been resting in one of the restorative springs while your body mended itself as much as it could," The old man said as he gracefully cut off a piece of carp meat from a protruding bone. "You had significant burning from an extensive use of magic on your right hand. Most of it looks to be healed on its own, but we added a few supplements to the water to help you along a bit more." Kenshin paused as he unfurled his hand from the fork and stared down at the pink tinged skin of his right palm, the red markings of runes dancing across his flesh. "Your colouring should come back in a few days, but the pink flesh is a sign of healthy healing. I would hardly worry about it—well, not the overuse of magic."

"Why were you using so much magic in one concentrated area?" The girl asked as she arched an eyebrow at him from over the rim of her rice bowl. "No one is _that_ daft—"

"— _Misao_ ," Pops hissed.

"— _Very few_ are that daft," Misao corrected herself. "You must have been having some difficulties or been outnumbered to have pushed yourself into that sort of position. You're lucky to have lived." She set down her rice dish as she pushed herself to her feet and moved back into the house, the sound of running water hinting that she was serving herself something else to drink other than the oddly coloured tea.

"To speak honestly, this one has no recollection of what happened," Kenshin replied. "The only thing this one has fresh in memory is the vision of a girl named Kamiya."

" _Kamiya_?" The old man repeated as he tilted his head. "That sounds like a surname, not a first name." Kenshin gave a shrug as he took another bite of the exquisite fish and sighed as he swallowed it down. "Regardless, it seems that perhaps maybe your over use of magic triggered amnesia... although the healing waters of the spring might have interferred as well, to be honest. No one reacts the same way, but that's a fairly hefty price that you have to pay—never seen or read anything like it." The old man took another sip of his tea as he stared at Kenshin with a pensive look.

"Amnesia, huh," The girl called Misao said as she passed under the doorway and retook her seat on the ground, a glass of water shoved towards Kenshin as she took a sip from her own. "That's not good—if you barely know what you had been up to before coming here, you're in for quite the problem."

"As unfortunate as it is, she _is_ right," Pops said in agreement. "We can hardly hold you accountable for actions that we do not know of, by all means take your time resting and recuperating here, but without you knowing exactly what or who you are…"

"Do you two not use magic?" Kenshin asked as he stared at them. The girl next to him choked on her water as she chortled a laugh and she kicked her legs out under the table as though his statement was hilariously funny. The older man gave her a sharp look that went widely ignored and Misao swiped at her face as a tear leaked from her bright eyes as she took a sip of water, nearly spitting it out all over herself.

"Misao and I are both humans," The old man replied steadily. "Misao is the one that crosses between the human plain and this middle world more frequently than I do. But, no, we're not magic users—admirers and sympathizers, of course, but not users." Kenshin felt something in the back of his mind set off at the old man's answer but he squashed it momentarily as he offered them both a half smile that did not quite reach his violet eyes.

"From the looks of things, you're quite the vassal of magic yourself, m'boy," Pops commented. "I've seen what magic can do to lesser creatures who expend too much of it, but that was child's play compared to the condition that you arrived to in. Frankly speaking, I thought you would have taken longer to heal."

"You were pretty banged up," Misao said around another mouthful of what looked to be a plant based salad that she was slurping on lazily. "Worst I've ever seen—when I saw you flop into the water, I thought you were dead! Guess I was wrong, huh?" She gave him a flash of a smile as she set aside her fork and took a generous gulp of water. "Lucky you that I was around to get Pops to help you."

"This one is grateful in that case, Miss. Misao," Kenshin said with a meek smile as he bowed his head in appreciation. "This one is grateful to you as well… err…"

"…Please, just call me Pops," The old man insisted. "I was never a fan of my name to begin with. Pops is much more endearing in my old age." Misao rolled her great eyes at him but did not say anything as she picked at her own portion of fish, peeling back the flaps of scaly skin that covered the creature that had been fished out of the spring that morning.

"As I said, son, take you time to heal and relax here before you rush into something that you're not going to be prepared to do," Pops repeated as he leaned back on his hands and gave Kenshin a tired smile. "Time passes a bit slowly here, but I'm sure you would like to take a moment and assess everything. Who knows, maybe your memory will come back to you?"

"Doubt it," Misao said cheekily as she jammed a piece of fish into her mouth. "But make some nice memories here—it's a lot more peaceful than the human plain, I can tell you that!" She let out another laugh as she polished off her fish and rose to her feet to collect the empty plates, balancing them on her arms as she dashed inside the house.

"Don't mind her, she's young and inexperienced," Pops said as he rubbed his temples with his fingertips, trying to massage the headache away before it even started. "Better help I couldn't ask for, truly, but she's a handful… luckily, I've still got a few years to train her to be my successor."

"Miss. Misao does seem to have a lot of spirit to her," Kenshin remarked as he took a sip of the tea that he found to be flavourful and delicious, a soothing aroma of different flowers and plants tickling his senses as he swallowed the mouthful carefully. It coated his throat gently and seemed to ease the tension on his vocal cords as they loosened and lost their tension. "This one is sure that she will grow into a fine successor."

"I have not a doubt in the world about that," Pops remarked fondly. "And I was not joking when I said to take as much time as you need to recuperate here. Be it your body or your memories, there's no rush." He seemed partial to the phrase and seemed also incapable of letting up until Kenshin agreed to his offer.

"This one is humbled by such an offer," Kenshin said as he inclined his head once more.

"Please, it does get lonely despite the beauty and tranquility of this middle world, it's like we've been forgotten," Pops said lightly. "Some company never hurts." Kenshin nodded in mild agreement as he turned out to stare at the lush rolling fields of reeds and water plants that ringed the springs. The springs were various hues of blues and greens, hinting at different mineral properties that were housed within each one. They did not give off too much of a sulphuric smell although it lingered in the air as an accent note to the fresh scent of flowers, trees, and a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves in playful taunting. The springs were all bubbling and gurgling happily as they swirled around and around, their waters licking the shores as they ebbed and flowed gracefully without a signal preoccupation.

"See you later, pops! I'll be back in a few days!" Misao's voice broke out as she zoomed by them, gracefully leaping over the edge of the patio and landing feet first into the large spring that was sprawling out before them. Kenshin blinked hawkishly as he watched as Misao trampled her way over the rocky bottom of the spring before leaping onto its opposite bank and skittering her way around the pools before she dove into another one, vanishing without a trace. Kenshin rose to his feet in alarm as he waited for her head to pop out of the water but as he was ready to make a move towards the spring, Pops laughed and motioned for him to sit down again.

"She's just crossing over my boy, these springs connect the human plain to the middle ground," Pops explained with a bemused look on his face. "Misao lives between here and a small village called Chutororo and she has to go back for a bit. Don't worry about it." Kenshin's face did not register such confidence with the explanation but he let it slid as he sank back down onto the patio and resumed eating under the waterfall eye of Pops.

"You keep eating, m'boy, I'm going to finish a few things around back," Pops said as he rose to his feet slowly, his old age apparently. He gave Kenshin a reassuring smile as he reached down and patted the man's shoulder. "I'm serious when I say to eat up: you need to make sure that everything is healed. It might be the human way of recuperation to give your body nutrients, but I don't see why it wouldn't work on you. Eat."

"This one will," Kenshin replied as he slowly picked at the green salad, eyeing it before allowing himself to try it. Pops nodded lightly as he rounded the corner of the patio and vanished behind the house, leaving Kenshin to finish his meal in an odd moment of peace.

* * *

"How are you doing?" Ro asked as she sank down onto the sofa at Kaoru's feet as she nodded her greeting at Sanosuke who was eating his charred breakfast at the table, glancing over a few books he had brought with him from Capozano. Kaoru gave her friend a half smile that did not reach her stunning eyes and Ro knew that it as a moot question given the circumstances were hardly apt for inquiring as to her emotional state.

"All my big wounds are healed," Kaoru replied slowly, having started to speak over the last few days. "I've been walking around with Sanosuke through the village. You guys are still suspended from work, right?" Kaoru had not mentioned the odd dream that had woken her with tears pouring down her cheeks the previous evening, the vision of Kenshin staring at her with those bright violet eyes and saying that he could not recall who she was had discouraged her from sleeping any more that night as she busied herself with studying her notes.

"All patrolling details have been suspended until further notice," Ro confirmed with a nod as she gave Kaoru a roll of her eyes. "They offered us jobs in the forge but we did not have to accept them: I think Captain Aoshi had something to do with twisting their arms enough to leave us alone to pick up the pieces of our lives, you know? Most of the guys had lost their houses and he's pushing and pulling strings for their homes to be rebuilt." Kaoru nodded although she had not a blithering clue about the state of other patrollers. A few that she had trained and graduated with had passed by to visit her and they engaged in light conversations and they wished her a speedy recovery.

"The village is absolutely destroyed," Kaoru said softly.

"Not _absolutely_ destroyed and those that can help with construction are making great progress," Ro corrected gently. "They've sent someone to cover Kanryuu's position and he's a total pushover: Kanyruu will be shitting bricks if he comes back to see that we've actually gotten what we've wanted in terms of building materials. I guess they didn't have anyone else in Central that was man enough to come up here." Kaoru found her shoulders shaking as she emitted a rare chuckle and Ro's smile widened. " _Ah-ha_ , there we go! Miss. Kamiya is still able to laugh afterall, eh!"

"Sanosuke took me around to the festivities grounds though, it's hard to believe everything was gone," Kaoru said slowly. "Have they released a final body count?"

"Not officially, no," Ro answered honestly. "Rumour is that about thirty percent of the village population was wiped out, but it's unconfirmed. We lost a few guys, but those kids that we got out of the house made it back safe. They're all accounted for—even the brat that nearly got you killed." Sanosuke paused his nibbling at his stale bread as he looked over at the two women with mild interest in their conversation.

"It wasn't his fault," Kaoru protested weakly. "He was so scared, Ro, I didn't want to leave him behind." Ro's eyes softened as she leaned into the back of the sofa and gave Kaoru a knowing look. Kaoru's loyalty to her people, even the smallest citizens, had been a physical manifestation of proof that her allegiance to her people was going to be the literal death of her. Ro found it touching as she found it disturbing that someone would push themselves to an extremity that was thankless but she never dared to comment on it other than what she had hashed out with Tomoe a few weeks prior.

"Well, at least you're talking again," Ro volunteered as she steered the subject away from Inaho and the other children. "Now what do you want to do?"

"What do you mean 'what do I want to do'?" Kaoru asked wearily as she felt her heart thud against her chest angrily. "It's not really a matter of what I want, is it?"

"I actually think it is," Sanosuke finally spoke as he gave Kaoru a pointed look. The rooster haired patroller had been nothing but doting on Kaoru the last few days, a rare sign of affection from the gruff male, and Ro had noticed that something had changed in the way he interacted with Kaoru. He knew that they had a heavily co-dependant relationship without the mix of romance but Sanosuke had assisted her without his usual commentary or vulgarities spewing about. "He's a fucking coward for running away, but the more we understand about him, the more I can understand why he ran away to protect you. Cowardly, but noble."

"A noble coward," Kaoru repeated as she found the odd wording to be contradictory in nature.

"As it stands," Ro interrupted, "I do believe that you have some unfinished business with Kenshin. Perhaps there's a romantic side to me that wants to see you go after him, or realistically, him to come to you, but I know it won't happen." Kaoru nearly choked as she felt her cheeks flush at Ro's words.

"I've been talking to some guys in the underbelly and they're reaching out to their contacts all over the country to see if they've seen him," Sanosuke said gruffly. "You have unfinished business with him and I want to smash my fist into his face for what he promised he would not do to you, Missy. You're not the only one with pending affairs to attend to with him." Kaoru's face was misconstrued as she felt the image of the previous evening's dream dash through her mind and she shook her head heavily, trying to make the image disperse quickly.

"Additionally, I've reached out to an old contact in the South who might be able to help you a lot more than we can being here," Ro contributed as she crossed her arms and gave Kaoru a nod of her head. "We're really trying to pull out all the stops: I remember you asked about the Southern Migration or whatever it's called—we've been talking, Megumi, Sano, and me, and we figure that he's gone South. You said he saw it in a vision, right? Fate seems to have her hand firmly in our pockets, might as well play along with whatever crazy and backwards clues she's leaving us." Ro's smile widened even more as she watched the colour drain from Kaoru's face.

"B-but…" The vision of the saddened eyes of the red haired man refused to budge from mind, searing itself to her like a permanent scar. The anguish that she had picked up on in the dream had felt real and she could determine that he was truly torturing himself with such suffering at not being able to remember who she was. There was a guilt-laden weight that had settled on her shoulders and, despite her fears of abandonment, she wanted to reach out and embrace the figure in her dream and fight back all the confusion and haziness that he saw, offering him a gentle solace in the face of such darkness.

" _Why?_ " Kaoru finally settled for as she watched as Sanosuke rose from the table and came to crouch next to her.

"Because you were happy, Kaoru, and he was making you happy," Ro explained gently as she reached over and squeezed her friend's hand. "That happiness came because you had been able to bond with him and you recognized him as nothing less than a thinking and feeling being. That's the greatest gift you have been able to give us all, really."

"Even if he's broken the promise he made to me not to hurt you, he saved you from Kanyruu and, ultimately, Enishi," Sanosuke added. "Missy, you have no idea the gift and second chance of life you'd been given by Kenshin—even Megumi says that your wounds shouldn't have healed as they had. But he left a bit of magic with you to make sure you were healthy. If you have nothing to say to that coward after all this, I'd be damned fucking surprised."

"Something to say?" Ro and Sanosuke exchanged knowing looks.

"Kaoru, we could see it the night of the Solstice festival, there's no point in trying to tread around it," Ro said softly. "We want to help you gain that back, mostly for you—but also a bit for him. He really left quite the mark, didn't he?" Kaoru felt her hands slide to her sides as she lowered her feet to the ground and stood on her feet, resisting the pressure that Sanosuke and Ro were applying onto a wound that had barely healed properly.

"Megumi is out getting supplies for you as well speak," Sanosuke informed Kaoru roughly. "You're being given a second chance, Missy, and we've pulled a lot of strings to get you this chance to say what needs to be said or do what needs to be done. I don't like to believe in fate and all that bullshit, but for some reason, you two overlapped and just before it was good, it was ripped away from you."

"What he's trying to say," Ro cut Sanosuke off as she, too, stood and moved towards Kaoru, wrapping her arms around her friend, "Is that we want you to find what was making you happy. Even if you have to travel to the ends of the world or beyond, the Kaoru I know would not let that opportunity go to waste."

"And if he says that he does not-"

"-You've got a friend with a giant pickaxe, a doctor who knows how to kill people if she hits the right nerve, and a big rooster haired friend who would be more than happy to convince him to change his mind," Ro replied as she tightened her embrace around Kaoru, smiling when she felt her friend's arms come up to return them. "Even if he says no, even if he turns you away, you will have your definitive answer. From there, we can make a decision. For now, sitting around and moping will not resolve anything, will it?" When Kaoru shook her head, the blonde released her and rested her hands on Kaoru's shoulders. "Take this chance when Central doesn't know what to do with Tereré a has their guard down."

"You two won't let me have it any other way, will you?" She whispered as the image of Kenshin's haunted face ghosted through her mind again, a constant reminder that she was going to forge forward with something that had no definitive end point or a marked beginning. Kaoru, who was content with remaining in the safety of her village, was being urged on by her closest friends and the sad eyes of the man who, as she had been reflecting upon for the last few days, had wiggled his way into her heart one way or another. There was a spurring sensation of adventure that she never knew she had as she felt it come alive and spread its wings grandly and she swallowed deeply as she closed her eyes, focusing on the form of Kenshin that had crept next to her in her dream.

"It's going to be a long journey, but I think you'll be able to handle it," Megumi's voice spoke up and Kaoru whirled around to find the vulpine doctor weighed down with various bags in her hands. "Rest up for a while more, Kaoru: once your strength is back, you can go." Megumi's almond shaped eyes were intense and severe as she gave Kaoru an up-and-down before letting her lips curl up. "Kenshin would not want to see you arriving to him in a half dead condition, would you?" As the tips of Kaoru's ears flushed red, she felt something within her come to life as it whirled around her and settled neatly on her heart, purring and cooing gently as she felt an immense warmth and tingling spread through her body.

 _Magic_ , she breathed inwardly as though the remains of the gentle magic that Kenshin allegedly had pressed into her body seemed to agree with the communal sentiment.

"You'll be in good company," Ro said as she gave Kaoru a firm nod. "I promise."

* * *

So, so… SO! This marks the end of the second arc! Woohoo! Now begins the journey to the South. My apologies for having Kenshin lose his memory again, but it will be vital to later devices and twists. :) As always, please feel free to leave a review! Just as a heads up, I will be traveling for work again and may not update for a bit, but I will do my best to try and do so!


	20. Chapter 20

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XX

To the South

"May your journey overflow with dreams and reality."

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

* * *

Kaoru winced as the proud ponytail that Megumi had fashioned with her rat's nest of a hair was quickly cut with Sanosuke's knife, a deft and calculated swipe of the blade, and it fell the floor in a limp tangle of midnight blue hair. She had prided herself on her long hair, one of the very few feminine aspects that she sported proudly in high ponytails, but she knew that the attempt to detangle it and straighten it out would be too much of a lost cause despite her best intentions. She heard Megumi cluck her tongue in admonishment but ignored her friend as she extend her hand outwards for Sanosuke to hand him her blade, she herself determined to even out the clumps of hair that stuck out at haphazard angles.

"Maybe you should have done this with wet hair?" Megumi suggested as she met a glowering Kaoru's reflection in the mirror.

"Too late for that," Kaoru replied quietly as she busied herself with trying to even out the ends of her now short hair that just grazed her chin. She had cut off a significant amount, enough that it nearly rendered her unrecognizable, and she found that the pale faced woman staring back at her in the mirror seemed to have a much more mature look to her as opposed to the youthful hopefulness that a longer haired Kaoru might have. She sighed as she slashed away at a longer strand, inspecting her handiwork on occasion with Megumi pointing out something from time to time. Sanosuke had retreated to sitting on the toilet and watching the spectacle, unsure as to how he felt about seeing the Missy with a bobbed hair style. It would grow back, but it disarmed him to see how she lost a lot of her remaining innocence with something as clinical and mundane as a haircut.

"It's not _so_ bad," Kaoru relented as she studied herself in the mirror with a critical eye. "It looks pretty good, actually—I've never had hair this short before." Megumi rolled her eyes as she snatched a brush from the counter and began to comb through Kaoru's now shortened hair as she was mindful not to snag it on any knots.

"You look older, different," Sanosuke mustered. "Not bad, Missy."

"That's the impression I have as well," Kaoru said in steady agreement. "It was a necessary evil, I guess… long hair isn't practical for a lot of things. I just can't believe how Ro wears it down and it stays looking so good—"

" _I what now_?" Ro's voice echoed as she poked her head into the bathroom. "I was knocking at the door, sorry, but no one was downstairs. I let myself in." Kaoru gave her a tight smile as the blonde's face registered the immediate change to Kaoru's hair and she seemed left speechless as her lips moved similar to a fish trying to breathe outside water. The blonde reached up out of habit to stroke her own hair and the golden mane seemed to limp in fear at the sight of Sanosuke's blade resting on the counter, unsheathed and ready for any additional botch haircuts. She gave Kaoru a hesitant nod as she forced a smile onto her face, tilting her hat upwards in greeting at the rest.

"Sorry for the delay, there was a bit of a mess on the road back from Nantia," She offered with a wayward tone to her voice. Ro had set off the previous day to meet whatever individual that had been contacted by her a mere few days earlier and she had surprised everyone by announcing that she would be off to the Northern stronghold's only train connected city and would return the following day. Sanosuke had offered to accompany her but she had turned down the offer, saying that she was quite happy to make the journey on her own and she had hitched a ride with some forgers that were forced to delivery their wares to Nantia given that their newest Delegation member had severely dented their transport of goods services and had problems organizing with the transport bureau back in Central.

"I was wondering if you were going to get caught up in the express robberies or not," Megumi said as she sighed, brushing her own hair from her face as she gave Ro a knowing nod. "That route has become so much more dangerous in the last few weeks, it's hardly fit for travel. You really should have had Sanosuke go with you you."

"Naw, it's okay, besides, I've been able to get my hands on my weapon and some other things, thanks to Sano, so I was fairly confident that nothing would have happened," Ro said with a shrug as she gestured to the massive axe that was leaning against a wall outside of the bathroom. Sanosuke had gone into what had been the remains of the Long House and had rounded up the remaining of their own tools of their cursed trade under the guise that they could not depend on the government on doing anything if the vizinhos were to start attacking again as they had been weeks previously. They were still prowling around the mountains, which had more or less been abandoned by the villagers out of fear and lack of government orders, and the vizinhos had seemed to multiple in quality as they amassed within the forest. Many of the citizens of the destroyed village had grabbed once prohibited weapons and hid them away within their homes, they themselves unsure as to the future and wanting that bit of insurance that a weapon offered.

Sanosuke had managed to repair the cracks in Ro's axe, his own sword, and he had grabbed a real steel sword for Kaoru, telling her that it was about time to _'grow a pair and use a real one as opposed to one that would break if he snapped it in the right place._ ' Kaoru had scoffed as it went against her father's teachings, but she had accepted the heavy metal sword before nearly tossing back at Sanosuke in protest, "It's a reverse-blade, Sano, I couldn't kill a fly with that!" Sanosuke had given her a lecture that it was a matter of changing her style a bit more and learning to manipulate it the way it required before she wrote it off as a dud weapon. Ro had been sniggering in the background but she had allowed Kaoru to sprawl with her lightly as she managed to block a fair majority of Kaoru's well aimed strikes, allowing her to feel where the weaknesses of her use of the reverse blade laid so that she could grow accustomed to the weapon. They practiced under the cover of darkness in the burned out corpse of what had been a warehouse and Kaoru found that she was slowly improving with the odd choice of weapon that Sanosuke had given her.

" _Anyway_ , I'd like you to meet the newest member of this ragtag group of fun people," Ro said grandiosely as she gestured for the figure that was hanging back in the hallway to enter into the already cramped bathroom. Kaoru gawked at him as she realized that he was a mere child but he was one hundred percent Southerner by the looks of him: his skin was tanned a lovely olive colour and his dark eyes and hair screamed that he was a habitant of the plains. He was dressed with a cloak that was way too big from him, which everyone assumed was one of Ro's husbands old frocks, and he was donning the typical Southern garments beneath the cloak. He looked to be around seventeen and he had a sneer to his face that seemed to disregard the band of Northerners that was peering at him with wide eyes.

" _Oy_ , Ro, what's the big fucking idea? This is your contact? A _kid_?"

"Hey, you watch it, you have no idea who you're messing with," The boy snapped as he retorted to Sanosuke's apparent complaint. "I wouldn't have come to help if it wasn't for Ro."

"Now, now, don't go biting each other's heads off," Ro said with a sigh as she gave Kaoru and Megumi an agonized look. "This is Yahiko: he and I met a few years ago before I came up to the North. He's great at intel and he'll beat the stuffing out of anyone if given the chance. I figured that he'd been useful to help you get back to the South, Kaoru."

Kaoru eyed him warily before she extended her hand out, an offering of greeting, towards Yahiko and carefully said, "My name is Kaoru. It's nice to meet you, Yahiko." Yahiko stared down at her outstretched hand and made eye contact before uttering a choice selection of words that left the group mildly speechless.

"God, you're an _ugly_ one, aren't you? What happened to your hair?" Kaoru's brow twitched at him as she gave Ro an irritated look but the blonde shrugged and muttered something about kids down South having much more character and liberty of speech. Kaoru found it to be a garbage excuse as she retracted her hand and gave Yahiko a scathing look as she turned back to Megumi who seemed to be at a loss for words: rare for the vulpine doctor and Sanosuke looked like he was about to double over in laughter.

"And you said he's a friend of yours, Ro?" Sanosuke said around a chuckle. "Nice."

"Hey, he's a great person once you get to know him," Ro said in defence of Yahiko. "Besides, he's a true blooded Southerner, he wouldn't try anything funny with Kaoru. Better help we aren't going to get." Yahiko stood by with an expression of ' _ah-ha_ ' on his face as he tilted his head at the group before he stretched his arms out and yawned, obviously tired from his journey. He had travelled to the largest city in the South and had nearly been mugged by a group of renegades but had mangled to weasel his way out of the situation and reach the city. He used the money that Ro had left him many years ago—having lost their value with so much inflation in the economy—and had bought a ticket for the circular line that circled through the four cardinal civilizations. He had then caught a smaller train to Nantia where he found Ro waiting for him on the platform, their wide brimmed hats matching as they greeted each other. Ro had listened to him nearly talk her ear off and admonish her for not returning South but she had been patient knowing that his cooperation would be worth the heckling.

"Well, I think we need to fill him in on the details before we go making any sure fire plans," Ro said as she ushered Yahiko down towards the stairs, Megumi and Sanosuke trailing after him. Kaoru held back a moment as she stared down at the mess of hair that had accumulated at her feet, Yahiko's voice complaining about the bitter cold, and she grunted as she reached for the broom that they had brought up to the bathroom. As she swept the hair into a pile to later deposit in the rubbish pile, she reached down and brought up her long gone ponytail for inspection as she ran her hands over the splitting ends, matted beyond belief and beyond whatever magic could be worked on her locks.

"Kaoru? You comin'?" Sanosuke called from below, breaking her silent eulogy for her hair as she dropped it into the pile that she had made with the other trimmings, giving it one sparing look as she moved from the bathroom to the hallway, loping down the stairs as her newly cut hair grazed against her cheeks in a bizarre new sensation that she had never experienced.

* * *

Kenshin was circling the springs, as he had taken to doing every morning, as he peered into the bubbling waters that seemed to tease him and speak to him in excited whispers without saying anything specifically interesting to his fine-tuned ears. The gargling reminded him of a certain infantile innocence, babbling nonsense that people fawned over as they repeated in their own bastardized version of babble-speak that even he found ridiculous to a certain extent. He had been given new clothes, light cotton pieces that were agreeable with the weather, and he had taken to trampling around the reeds as though searching for something.

Pops had been generous and had refused Kenshin's initial offers of helping around with whatever menial tasks that Pops had to attend to: weaving baskets, grinding herbs, collecting aquatic plants, or even fishing for dinner. The elderly man had said he was more than happy to put himself to task as it gave him something to do and look forward to everyday, but had only caved in when Kenshin offered to help with certain repairs on the roof to help stabilize it. As Pops watched the red head slowly combine the slimy mud with stone and let them dry into sturdy tiles that were then passed through an open flame, he allowed Kenshin to participate in some of the activities in maintaining the sanctuary of the middle-way, seeming to appreciate the company that the brooding redhead had to offer.

They had taken to taking an early morning walk, Pops filling Kenshin in with some of the finer details of the natural resources around them and explaining their uses and versatility, Kenshin nodding along as he made note of certain things of stock interest to him. Pops would then bring him out for fishing, each day a different spring to fish out a different species of fish, and they would sit amicably together in comfortable silence, waiting for something to bite on the crudely handmade rods that Pops had fashioned from sturdy reeds and line that Misao had brought back from the human plain. They would then prepare the food in silence, Kenshin often helping or just even observing, and eat as they talked certain things such as philosophy or botany and how to best use the resources at hand.

During that time, Misao had returned once to drop off a few more supplies and she had stayed to eat lunch, rocking herself back and forth on the patio as she nibbled on the end of a piece of sugarcane. Her hair was re-braided and her mind seemed to be somewhere else as she offered half-thought answers to general questions from both men. Pops seemed to have an inkling as to what was happening with the girl but they were quiet in the presence of Kenshin, seemingly guarded with whatever she was being sent to do on the human plain. When she had departed from the middle-way plain, she had wove her way gracefully towards the spring and vanished beneath the water, a mere bubble serving as a sign that she had been present there mere seconds before.

On a quieter day, Kenshin had worked up the nerve to approach the spring and he shed his shoes and shirt as he studied the water carefully, trying to understand how Misao was able to pass between both plains with zero difficulty. He wadded into the water and ducked his head beneath the heated water, studying the terrain of the bottom and was disappointed to see that they were all rocks or tiny clumps of aquatic weeds that saluted him cheekily at his defeat. He resurfaced as he inhaled, Pops watching him from the patio, and dove back down as he tried to find any sort of indication or clue that would allow him passage. When he surfaced for the fourth time, Pops had merely called out that it was not necessary for him to know how to do it yet and that he was wasting his time. Kenshin had given him a soppy and miserable look but had given up under the elder's warning.

"It wouldn't work for you, at least not yet," Pops explained patiently as he tossed a towel at Kenshin who caught it easily. "You don't have a clearly defined connection to the human plain—well, one that you _remember_ —and it simply won't work." He gave Kenshin a steady smile and pat his shoulder in a fatherly way, retreating into his shack to begin preparing their customary lunch as he left Kenshin to dry off on the patio. Kenshin was conscious to the fact that Pops' words were not unkind, just clinical and truthful.

Kenshin was unsure as to how much time had passed in this strange middle world and he was not particularly anxious to find out either, finding the crawling days that faded into comfortable nights a welcomed place to try and understand better what he was and who he was. He had not had another dream in which he saw the woman 'Kamiya' but he had returned to the odd green-lit water where he would slosh about in circles as he called out to her to a vast empty echo of his own voice. When he woke, he felt disappointed that he had been unable to encounter the woman whose tears he wanted to brush away and he often rolled over on the sleeping mat as he curled into himself, unsure as to what sort of connection he had to her from a past memory.

Pops had been tending to his right hand over the last few days, occasionally jotting down notes regarding how his body self mended and healed the angry magic-induced burns that had massacred his hand. The runes were staring at him blankly, their red facade almost taunting in nature, and he wished that he knew how to interpret them and their meaning that seemed scrambled and half intelligible to him. He had asked Pops if he knew how to read the runes but he had shook his head, saying that it was a regional language from the human plain to which he had, had little exposure and even less knowledge. Kenshin had thanked him silently, knowing that the old man was just as interested as he was, and he had watched as Pops probed at Kenshin's palm and moved his fingers to test the reconstruction of the ligaments that seemed to have also had collateral damage and had suffered burns.

"Seems like everything's in order from a medical perspective," He said thoughtfully as he tested the dexterity of Kenshin's wrist. "You've got some potent magic in you, lad, it lets you heal quite quickly and, more importantly, well. Even some the quick healers have problems with bone alignment or ligament destruction." He released Kenshin's wrist and the red head studied it before he rested his hand on his knee as they both gazed out over the water with lazy gazes that reflected brightly in their eyes as Pops served him a cool beverage that he had been brewing over the course of the morning.

"This one has many questions that seem to go unanswered," Kenshin finally said as he gave Pops a tired look that touched the violet hues of his intelligent eyes.

"It's to be expected, son, you have no memory and any memory you do have has been made here or is from your dream that has not repeated once," Pops remarked as he took a tentative sip of his home-brew. "I know that you are trying to gather information on your rounds around the springs in the morning, that much is certain, but you have to remember that sometimes riding out the storm instead of charging headfirst into it tends to give better results. In your case, you have a lot to lose if you try to speed things up. Fate has a plan for everyone, as they say."

"Fate is a very cruel thing for having made this one make Miss. Kamiya cry in that dream," Kenshin countered lightly as he slid his violet gaze over to the older man who had paused in downing his drink, his darker eyes meeting Kenshin's inquisitive gaze. "There was something that this one felt with seeing Miss. Kamiya… yet if that's just a surname, what _real_ connection can I have with her?" He gave a frustrated huff as he reached for the drink that had gone untouched and took a small sip, pleased that it was lightly sweetened and had a refreshing aftertaste.

"That's not a question I can give you a textbook answer to, m'boy, if only it were so simple," Pops said quietly as he drained his glass of the home-brew and set it aside. His feet were dangling into the spring next to the patio and he gave Kenshin a sorrowful look that was sympathetic as well as pitying. "That's why I insist that you stay here for a bit—there's no better place for you to really think things over. Besides, call it a paternal instinct, I'd feel guilty letting you go off on your own without your bearings. It's hardly just to turn you loose and wish you the best."

"Ah," Kenshin managed to reply.

"You know when you know," Pops said calmly as he gave Kenshin a sage smile. "It took me a significant amount of time to understand that and come to terms with what was expected of me in this lifetime." He grunted as he slowly rose to his feet, padding across the recently cleaned patio as he settled into a chair that he had dragged out earlier that day and leaned back, closing his eyes as the sunlight hit his face, highlighting the rough and wrinkled topography of the face of someone who had lived many cycles. Kenshin found himself staring at the figure of the old man, seemingly settling into what would be his customary afternoon nap, and found himself slightly envious of the universal understanding and blind faith that fate would not lead him astray. Perhaps it truly was a question of old age but Kenshin knew he would never be blessed with the knowledge that Pops seemed to have in raw abundance.

"If you truly think you have a connection to Miss. Kamiya, then you have half your answer," Pops said without opening his hollowed out eyes. "You just have to search around for something that is already in plain sight." He grunted again, a slight dribble of drool accumulating in the corner of his mouth, as he tucked himself down for his temporary disconnection from the world.

* * *

"So, _that's_ why you called me up to the North?" Yahiko questioned, his eyes bulging out slightly as each of the older adults had taken to telling fragmented parts of a very complex story that seemed to take more turns and twists than a snake slithering through the undergrowth of the open plains. They had settled around Kaoru's cramped table, Megumi and Ro on other side of him, and Sanosuke sitting directly in front of him, dark eyes guarded as he assessed Yahiko's usefulness to the situation.

"You really expect me to believe _that_?"

"Frankly, yes, given that you yourself know how close humans and vizinhos can grow," Ro replied in an annoyed tone of voice, obviously displeased by how Yahiko seemed resistant to their long winded explanation of events. "The North is different from our culture, fundamentally, but this goes beyond a brief difference in cultural tolerance to the other side." She hummed in her throat as Sanosuke cleared his throat, giving Megumi a somewhat hardened look.

"Besides, Kenshin ain't human, but he ain't a vizinho either: we're not sure what he is," Sanosuke spoke, crossing his arms over broad expansions of muscled chest. "All we know is that he's vanished and we have due reason to think that he's gone South."

"He had mentioned to Kaoru something about a Great Migration South, having seen it in a vision, wasn't it?" Megumi chimed in as she wove her hands together, her fingers a dainty trellis resting on the fatigued wood of the table. "That's really the only thing that we have in terms of semi-verifiable information, and even with that…"

"He asked me to consider joining him, but he had, had a change of heart at some point when it seemed like something beyond what we can see on this plain started to communicate with him," Kaoru finally spoke as she fixed her azure eyes on a particularly interesting patch of knotted wood. "He had told me that he would be leaving but that he did not have a particular date or time."

"So, Enishi forced his hand and smoked him out—l _iterally_ —and basically used you as a means to get his hands on this guy," Yahiko summarized as he felt his shoulder blades touch the back of the chair. "Exactly what happened in the South with the sympathizers: hold a village hostage and burn it down until they either turned themselves in or were killed on the spot. His techniques haven't changed over the years."

"No, they haven't," Ro said flatly.

"He's always had a target on his back but without knowing why or what he was," Megumi said matter-of-factly as her gazed shifted to Yahiko. "Although he had incredible abilities and was able to manipulate magic in various ways that seemed more benevolent to benefit others."

"Well, actually…" Kaoru trailed off as four other pairs of eyes turned to look at her, her face falling as she stared down at her hands that she had rested on the table, trying to avoid having them shake so much as she recalled glimpses and flashes of that night when Kanyruu had pointed his gun at her as she curled around Inaho's body.

"Well actually?" Yahiko egged on, his eyebrow arched in superstition.

"When Kanyruu had his weapon on me, he said a word— one that I had never heard before, or at least I had thought so," Kaoru said slowly as she raised her head, her chin tilted downwards as she was unsure as to how the group would react to this new fragment of information that she had been grappling with since she woke from her unconscious state. "It was a word that had little meaning to me at the moment, but the more I kept thinking about it…" She continued to blab on, annoyance crossing Yahiko and Sanosuke's faces, before she finally swallowed and uttered a singular word: " _Vestige_."

"Vestige?" Ro repeated, her face registering authentic confusion, her tongue rolling the word with her prominent accent.

"I've not heard of that," Megumi said with a withdrawn tone.

"Can't say that I have either," Sanosuke chimed in. Yahiko was quiet, his eyes out of focus as though he were lost in his own intimate world of thoughts that he was unwilling to indulge the others in on the sheer notion that there was a complete lack of confidence with the group of Northerners. His hands were resting on his knees, his mouth twitching and flickering as though contemplating sharing a tidbit of information but he remained steadfast and unnoticed by the group.

"Kanryuu called Kenshin the ' _Vestige_ ' and how I should never have been involved with their search for him," Kaoru related slowly as she tried to fight against her muscles seizing up at the flare of memory of being at the other end of the barrel of a gun, Kanyruu glowering down at her with his sickle of a smile. "He also said that history likes to repeat itself…so, is he talking about what happened in the South during the campaigns?"

"It could be," Sanosuke said with a frustrated sigh. "Or it could be some other fuck up Central caused. Or it could have to do with Kenshin: while it is information, it's hardly useful." Megumi was silent as she tried to scan her brain for any traces of recollection at having heard those words in her time in Central, but was drawing up blanks and was growing inwardly irritated at herself—the ever prideful woman who seemed to thrive on information.

"From the looks of it, anyone who would know is probably tied to Central and those are the last people that we can ask," Kaoru said thoughtfully although disappointment weighed heavily on her shoulders as she slumped forward. "I'm not even sure what Central is going to do to me—having the interim Delegation representative has left a lot of questions and I don't think we're going to have the solutions any time soon."

"I know of one person who may be able to help us," Ro said stiffly before adding a hasty, " _Maybe_."

"Who?" Yahiko finally spoke.

"Tomoe," Ro said, her eyes narrowing at the mention of the woman. "As many problems as she could potentially bring, she might be the only hope of getting any information. She did know Kenshin's name, after all, so I doubt it's too farfetched?"

"Is she still here?" Sanosuke asked. "Or is she even alive? With all the crap with the fires, a lot of people were killed and we don't have the complete registry yet."

"I don't know if she's here anymore," Kaoru answered slowly. "I, at least, haven't seen her. But, if I had to stake money on it, I want to bet she's heading to Central—she was, according to Ro, linked to the government without necessary being a supporter. If anything, Enishi would want to take her back to Central for questioning to try and see what information he could get on Kenshin." Her blue stare softened as she realized that the chances of getting any viable and immediate information were dwindling faster than the limited food rations and she could not shake the sickening feeling in her stomach that they were just trailing around in circles.

"That would make sense," Megumi said. "There is a penitentiary there for political prisoners and what could be called 'people of interest'. I wouldn't be surprised if she's there—that is, if she's in Central. One of the medical clinics that we do practicum in is across the street from the building." She looked over at Kaoru who seemed to be dazing off into space, collecting her thoughts and weighing her options. Megumi felt a pang of sympathy towards the younger woman as she knew that Kaoru was facing a shared conflict of interest with the group but also her own internal battles that would be arduous and emotionally fuelled. She knew that Kaoru's intentions tended to abide to good will but she was concerned that the rawness of emotions and the reawakening of grief would have a heavy hand in swaying good judgement.

"How certain can we be that she's there?" Sanosuke asked, turning to Megumi.

"It's probable," Megumi offered slowly. "It's not certain, but I'd say that the logic is sound enough to merit investigation. I don't know anyone who really works there—there's rumours, of course, but those who work in that building maintain their anonymity for a reason. Too many targets to be placed on their backs."

"If this Tomoe lady is our only chance, I say we go to Central for ourselves," Yahiko said gruffly. "Sitting around here waiting for an answer to fall in our laps isn't going to happen—besides, with the country turning into chaos in the West and now the North is starting to get things rolling—"

"—There is no better time to act," Ro finished as she reached over and patted Yahiko affectionately. "I knew that you'd be useful, Yahiko! You're still a pint-sized punk of a kid but you're playing on the adult terrain now. How you've grown." The blonde gave an awkward giggle as Yahiko yanked his shoulder away from her hand but she took little offence to his behaviour.

"It might be hard to organize for all of us to go to Central and we're going to draw a lot of attention though," Megumi pipped in as she held up her hand and named each individual. "Kaoru, you definitely must go because this is your war to fight, so you get to stay. Ro, as useful as you are, you need to stay in Tereré—"

"— _Eh_ , why?" The blonde looked stupefied as she blinded owlishly at the foxy doctor.

"I agree," Sanosuke spoke up as he looked over at the Southerner. "You're too much of a liability: if you get caught with Kaoru, they're going to go after you, too. Kaoru, if she's caught, could be sent to that place because she's a person of interest to Enishi and she'll be able to get close to Tomoe that way. You'd probably just be arrested and detained somewhere else." Ro's face fell at the realization that they spoke from factual arguments as opposed to any true resistance to her joining Kaoru. "And they know your face."

"By default, that means that they know your face as well as your face," Yahiko pointed out as he jutted his index finger at Megumi and Sanosuke. "Besides, Megumi can't return to Central right now—she'll just end up in trouble, too, by the looks of it." The teen huffed in irritation as he realized that he was edging towards a very vulnerable position and he was, by default, the one who did not check off all the boxes that the others in the group were.

"So that means you, Yahiko," Megumi said as she pressed her fingers into a bridge as she leaned forward in her chair. "Kaoru obviously cannot go alone and this just leaves you." Her almond shaped eyes were sharp as she focused on the youthful boy with a thoughtful stare that made him cringe inwardly. "They don't know your face, they don't know you're associated with us, and they certainly don't know what you know about the situation. It's quite advantageous."

"But what about the rest of us?" Ro asked as she looked over at Kaoru, whose silence was much louder than the voices at the table, and she felt her eyes close as she tried to reflect on happier instances. "We can't just sit around on our hands! We're practically sending Kaoru to a death sentence if we're wrong." Her blue eyes were bright as they seemed to glow in the low light.

"We more or less know where she'll be," Sanosuke explained as he ran a hand through his hair. "It takes a day to arrive to Central by train and it could take up a week to get what she needs. If we don't hear from Kaoru and Yahiko within a fortnight, we know that we have to take action. I agree with Megumi on the fact if too many of us go, it's just spelling out trouble and making things fucking complicated."

"I'm down to go," Yahiko said simply. "If Ugly needs me, I'll do it."

"Kaoru?" Four other sets of eyes turned to the quiet figure of the woman in question, brooding as she turned over each stone in her mind to try and find some sliver of cowardice that would impede her from moving forward. She raised her head in light defiance, meeting the gaze of each one before saying in a whisper of a voice, "I'll go. If anything, for answers."

"Well, if that's the case… the next train that goes directly to Central leaves in two days time," Megumi pointed out as she tucked her cloak over her shoulders a bit more. "It takes a day or so to get to Nantia from here, so you have to leave tomorrow. If we hurry, we can get things together and you can use my return ticket to Central."

"And Yahiko?"

"I've got my ticket, don't worry," He said smoothly as he reached into the folds of his sleeves and procured the paper ticket that was stamped with the seal of the nationalized railroad. "A guy I did a favour for a while back was able to get me an open return ticket with some arm twisting."

"What about weapons?" Four sets of eyes went to the figure of the blonde. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Megumi, but weapons on unauthorized personnel are strictly forbidden in Central, _right_? How is Kaoru going to just waltz into the capital with a sword?" She gave Sanosuke a pointed look for not having chosen a better thought weapon and the rooster haired patroller snorted in response. "Obviously you're going to need something while you're there and considering the people you're going to be dealing with."

"She has a point," Yahiko agreed. "But what about something smaller?"

"—It ain't easy, brat," Sanosuke butted in. "I have my 'friends' in the right places and even they can't get a hold of one. Central keeps tabs on it and no one is dumb enough to try and nab one from the forgeries." Yahiko's brow furrowed and Ro's frown deepened, the idea of Kaoru carrying a highly illegal weapon was already risky but it was much more viable than her totting around her bokken. Something smaller, like a knife, was easy enough to hide and to conceal on a person's body and could be whipped out at any moment. They were highly useful in short-range engagement, something that the patrollers were taught, but they were neglecting in the actual utilization of them given that they were reserved for high level government officials.

"I'll leave the reverse blade here," Kaoru said. "Carrying it will bring too much attention—but there must be something that I can take with me?" She was crawling through the recesses of her memory at trying to recall what weapons Tae would dole out to the patrollers when they did their check-ins. The vizinhos were often quite sizeable creatures and they required a hefty weapon or at least a powerful one to be taken down appropriately. Most of the weapons such as Ro's pickaxe and Sanosuke's oversized blade were highly inappropriate for urban use and needed lots of space to be utilized properly without decreasing their effectiveness.

"I'll see what I can do," Sanosuke said with a note of finality. "Instead of sitting around talking, we should be getting ready—The Missy needs to get to Central and the train waits for no one."

"Let me see what I have at my house that can be of use to you, Kaoru," Megumi spoke directly to the young patroller who was slowly rising to her feet, her newly bobbed hair curling at her chin as she rested her palms on the wooden surface.

"Me as well," Ro chimed in as she gestured for Yahiko to follow her. "I'm going to take Yahiko back to my house for a rest, but I'll come by later." She reached out and touched Kaoru's arm affectionately, her blue eyes warm as the Southern sky. Kaoru stared down at the gesture before she looked up and gave Ro a reassuring smile, this one touching the corners of her haggard expression.

"Thanks," Kaoru said simply, her voice a mere whisper into the wind.

"I'll see you later, Ugly," Yahiko snorted as he gave Kaoru another scathing look that, while he had agreed to help her, seemed to imply that he was still doubting how well this whole scenario would play out. Kaoru could not blame him for his mistrust of her; Ro had called in a massive favour and was essentially betting his life on the fact that he was not recognized by Central's military forces or Enishi's private troops. There was a hint of fighting spirit to the young boy that Kaoru found enthralling and she could only desire to have had the same courage that Yahiko displayed when she was younger.

"We'll meet back here at nightfall," Sanosuke declared to the group, shrugging into his warmest cloak as he, Ro, Yahiko, and Megumi slipped through the front door, leaving Kaoru to lock it while she began to gather the supplies they had hoarded in their own humble abode, preparing for a day that they were unsure would come.

* * *

A/N: And so, Arc III begins. For those who religiously review chapter after chapter, I appreciate it. :)

This arc is going to be less light-hearted and more driven by a concept that I'm dubbing, "pain and redemption." Central is the homeland of the cruelty of Enishi's government and is not a cakewalk, dealing with the fear of being forgotten and having been forgotten, and coming to terms with a plethora of fears: that is what will propel us through the longest of the arcs. Thank you for your patience and for the support, it keeps me writing despite the blocks. :D


	21. Chapter 21

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XXI

Converge

"May your journey overflow with hope and despair."

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

* * *

Megumi was silent as she felt her back stiffen from sitting on the backless chair that she had pushed into the corner of her expansive bedroom, the family's maid having been through her quarters earlier and straightening certain things. The Takani family, one of the bastions of wealth in Tereré, had been spared the brunt of the fire and their large stone house had been untouched in the attacks on the village. They had sheltered their family maid, whose house had been one of the first to burn, who seemed to be over compensating in her cleaning and cooking to ensure that the household was aware of her gratefulness towards the family of medics for taking her in under such precarious condition.

When Megumi had been scouted to be taken to Central to study, she had been nervous and she had withdrawn into her room for a short period, unwilling to speak to her parents. Most of her family had been trained and served as apprentices in the North, prior to Central's toppling of the Northern stronghold, and they were unable to empathize with her fears and concerns for being spirited away to the nucleus of the country that was so despised by the lower classes in her native lands. She had confided in her maid, the kindly woman an emigrate from the same village as Sanosuke, and the older woman had given Megumi a bracing hug and told her that she would do her best to support the youngest Takani even if she could not be present with her in the restrictive circles of the Capital.

Upon enquiring as to what she was referring to, the maid had given her a sly smile but patted her hand with light encouragement as she shook her head and requested that Megumi wait for the following day to understand the meaning behind her words. Megumi had been baffled by the normally complacent woman's seemingly scheming personality, unsure as to if the the many years tenured in the Takani household were worth the risk of her actions. The young doctor-to-be simply nodded, thanking the maid before the older woman left the house to return to her own residence for the evening.

The following afternoon, three days prior to Megumi's departure from Central with another Northerner who had also been scouted for medical training by the government, the maid had beckoned for Megumi to close her bedroom door. Megumi had sat neatly upon her bed, littered with clothes and other necessities for the Capital, and the maid flashed her a wide smile as she reached into her satchel that she habitually carried for the weekly shop—a true luxury in a society that depending on government rations—and pulled out a tightly wound bundle of cloths that were decorated with the typical geometric patterns of the North.

"This is for you," The maid crooned as she presented the bundle to the young Takani with two hands, her head bowed. "You're a fine woman and you must know that you need to know how to protect yourself in Central. This is all I can offer, but I hope that my lady finds some use of this gift." Megumi's mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried to encounter the correct words, but she looked down at the bundle that was pushed into her hands by the elder who stepped back and waited for Megumi's hands to begin to tug at the material to reveal its contents. Megumi's nimble figures undid the simple knot, the first layer of cloth falling to the floor, and as she began to work on the second layer, she felt her fingers bump against something that seemed to have a moving part as well as a cylindrical nature to it.

"How did you get _this?_ " Megumi asked in a hissing tone as the second layer dropped from her hands, her fingers grasping at the tool carefully and with hesitation as she had never handled one before. It was a small firearm, manufactured in Tereré forges, that had a barrel that would be able to handle six bullets and had an elegantly carved wooden grip that seemed to be made of local trees. The hammer was delicately curved but comfortable, almost feminine in an inexplicable manner, and the barrel was not extremely long but still intimidating to those unused to such things.

"My husband worked in the forge for many years and this was his retirement gift from the head smith," The maid replied in a low voice. "I have no use for it here, my lady, but you may need it given that Central is a big city compared to this village. It just gathers dust in my home." Megumi gaped down at the highly illegal weapon, knowing that if she was caught carrying it, it would implicate her and bring a devastating punishment to her as well as the maid who gifted it to her. Perhaps it had been the pull of manners and education, but she wrapped them up in their clothes and she tucked it neatly within the bag that she would carry on her person—a theatrical act to not give off the impression of ungratefulness—and she sighed heavily as she hugged the maid and thanked her for worrying about her safety.

When Megumi left Tereré for the first time to travel to Nantia to catch the train to Central, she had ensured to hide the firearm in a nook where she knew neither her family or the maids could access and had tossed a variety of clothes and books to mask its existence even more. Despite the good intentions in giving her such a potent gift and weapon, Megumi had not mustered the courage to carry the illegal weapon out of fear of the government and being caught with it—despite her intentions to never fire the blasted thing—and she fell back on the philosophy of 'out of sight, out of mind', forgetting that it was squirrelled away in her room as she threw herself headfirst into her studies.

Fast forwarding to the present moment, she found herself staring down at the cloth bundle that had accumulated a neat film of dust and seemed to be taunting her for the coward that she was to not be brave enough to accept such a heated gift. Megumi herself was not proficient in weapons or self defence, that always having been Kaoru's arena to fight in, and she was barely considered in-shape by most standards of the imagination. She could not run the distances that Kaoru could without being winded, she could not hold a bokken or a weapon without fear, and she could not stare down her own death everyday without her knees trembling. She had little qualms about saving those whose lives were on the cusp of passing over yet she was skittish in her own right. Sanosuke accompanying her home at night from his and Kaoru's home was a blessing for her given that she felt a sense of security standing next to the rooster haired patroller as they walked through the darkness of their village.

Her fear and reservations about the firearm and its potential use had never gone confirmed, thankfully living in a quieter district of Central where there were significant quantities of police roaming the streets at all hours, but she always wondered if she would be able to pull the trigger if needed. Kaoru's fighting spirit was something that cost her immense amounts of energy to understand to a working level and had watched as Kaoru as well as Ro become the first two women in the North to take on the role of patrollers. Vizinhos were a daily danger for them and they had seen gruesome things, lost comrades, as well as had to kill with their own hands with the purpose of killing as opposed to her not being able to save a patient.

Even then, she wondered if Kaoru would accept the firearm or if she would have the same misting of doubt as she did a few years ago.

Slipping the cloth bundle into her bag and piling a few other things on top of it, she reached for a hair pin and fashioned her hair into an elegant up-do before deciding that she would only receive the answer to that very question if she went to seek it for herself.

* * *

"How are things back home?" Ro's voice was soft as she slowly uncapped a bottle of rare coffee grinds that Yahiko had graciously brought her from the plains. He watched as she eyed the measurements, dumping them into two chipped cups before pouring hot water over them. They had reached Ro's house but neither was sure as to what to do: Ro had suggested that Yahiko rest from such a long journey but he refused, saying he would not be able to sleep through the night. Ro had not insisted and she offered to brew some tea, to which Yahiko tossed the small container at her and elicited a bright smile from the blonde. The two of them were content with speaking amongst each other in their dialect, not having to use the standard tongue that Central imposed so that the Northerners would comprehend them, and they seemed at ease as they settled into the dinky living room of Ro's lonely house.

"The harvest was good this year, they pulled in big numbers," Yahiko replied. "We won't see even an eighth of what we grew, so a lot of people are angry about that. Central's official explanation was the flooding in the East had ruined the fisheries and they needed to compensate in that district. No one believes that, of course, but it's what they threw together in terms of an official statement." Yahiko made a noise in his throat at the memory of listening to the Delegate who came to visit on occasion and said that their contributions were a national pride to Central and that their efforts were spread throughout the nation.

"The violence has died down?"

"There's still some activity from vizinhos, but it's more or less controlled, there's not a permanent patrol division so we have to get crafty from time to time because they take forever to arrive," Yahiko answered. "The entire area has changed a lot and it's not the same as it was a few years ago—it _sucks_ , Ro, we were better off before Central decided to go berserk. Even if Chotororo is small and shitty, there was a medical clinic and there were more villagers. A lot have moved to other areas because there's no survival there. Nothing. I think Misao and I are some of the youngest villagers, not counting the kids from down the road."

"Misao?" Ro's face clouded with confusion at the same but it quickly dispersed as she remembered Yahiko introducing her to the spirited girl briefly. "Ah, yes, how is she? You two still talk quite a bit, I imagine."

"She's fine, still vanishing from time to time but she always comes back," Yahiko remarked as he reached for the coffee that Ro was offering him. "She helps out with the store as well as the rations office, but I don't know what else she does. I know she goes around and talks to people for information, but it ain't much good if there's no one to spread it to so far South. Besides, a lot of the information that we both receive is usually out-of-date because the communications are so bad between the cardinal civilizations. We did not hear about what's happening out West until two weeks after it started and only then we could understand why there was a spike in vizinho activity."

"You had it in the South as well?"

"Yup," He said with a nod. "They were getting _really_ close and even coming into the village at night. They managed to mangle an old man who was in the wrong place in the wrong time, another villager found the body the next morning." He shrugged indifferently and Ro breathed out through her nose at the mere thought of a half eaten corpse being discovered by a civilian.

"You're helping the village I take it?"

"I do what I can," He answered warily. "Misao does as well, but she's not really a big fan of it. She said she felt bad hurting the vizinhos."

"Just like Kaoru," Ro said with a dry chuckle. "She hates clubbing them over the head." Yahiko continued to sip the boiling coffee, mindful of his tongue, and Ro sipped at hers steadily as she leaned back into the ratty old chair that belonged to her husband.

"You're not one for violence either," Yahiko commented.

"You're right," Ro said in light agreement, not oblivious to the younger boy's blatant observation. "I loath it, as a matter of fact. Unfortunately, it's what puts food on the table for me." Yahiko was silent, Ro unsure as to if her answer was satisfactory to the boy, and the ticking of the clock on the wall was the only discernible noise that punctuated their interaction.

"I wanted to ask something, but not with Ugly around," Yahiko said suddenly as he pulled his head up from his coffee and met Ro's eye. "And I want an honest answer, Ro, so don't try to pull any vague shit with me." The blonde battered her eyes at him innocently, feigning hurt at such a blistering accusation but she nodded, prompting him to speak freely before her in Southern confidence.

"What does this Kenshin mean to her?" Ro's eyebrows formed a questionable expression as she eyed the younger boy with a semi-surprised stare that he would go against the grain of normal conversation. "Why is she willing to write off her life and risk it all for someone who just left her behind in a burning field? Going to Central? She's crazy." His dark eyes were sharp and Ro sighed, she herself unsure as how to tastefully answer the question without jeopardizing Kaoru and her more personal affairs.

"I suppose because he makes, or made, her happy when they were together," The woman began to explain as she moved the cup of coffee around in her hands. "He has been a significant pillar of stability in a period in which she was just starting to transition away from grieving her father. Kenshin's got a soothing personality and he was very easy-going and accepting of her and she of him. I think he also unintentionally made her begin to question certain things about herself and a lot of them went unanswered, which is cruel to someone like Kaoru who thrives off information."

"What sorts of things?"

"I'm not sure, I was never able to get an answer from her… not _like_ I asked straightforwardly, but she was very concerned with what he thought about her and her choice of profession. I think, deep down, she was afraid that he would vanish out of being disgusted and she was trying to self correct a few things to avoid driving him away," Ro explained with a soften look of empathy on her tired face. "Kenshin came to her in a very vulnerable state and she helped him mend as well as rekindle an interest in the world that he was brought into. Without knowing where he comes from, we don't exactly know how he lived, but I think Kaoru was subtly determined to help him build meaningful memories in the absence of anything else. Showing him an abridged version of our world.

"I also believe that by helping him, she was repenting the loss of her father," Ro continued. "Although she and Sanosuke live together and have a very close relationship, the blow of losing her only remaining family was devastating, I imagine. She might have found a healthy distraction in him to slowly re-ground herself."

"Do you think she loves him?"

"I'm not sure, but she cares _enough_ to go through with something like this," Ro replied truthfully. "This stays between you and me, obviously, but I would sometimes see how he looked at her and there was something there that, if I had to put my finger on it, goes deeper than an appreciation of giving him shelter and hiding him away. I think that even he was becoming more aware that there was an emotional bond that formed between two very misguided individuals."

"So why won't you go with her to Central?"

"It's not like I don't want to," Ro protested as she gave Yahiko a blistering look. "But they _were_ right: they know my face and that would make it more difficult in the long run." Her blue eyes were glassy as she stared into the inky gaze of Yahiko. "I'm not rallying around the idea of being left behind, but I'm not so short-sighted as to ignore it."

"I see."

"Are we burdening you?" Ro enquired as she tilted her head at the youth. "We are asking you to assume quite the task: it's hardly fair, considering you don't know her, but we don't have many options."

"In a way, yes, calling me up here out of nowhere and expecting me to help Ugly? Someone I don't know and isn't even from the South?" Yahiko's eyes flared with something that resembled a begrudging hint of anger at the older blonde whose face was neutral. "Yes, you are burdening—but hell, it's kind of hard to back out when you have four against one, you know?" He crossed his arms angrily as he sighed and gave Ro another irritated look that spoke volumes to the temper that he often let fly.

"I apologize for the hastiness of my call for help," Ro said slowly. "Unfortunately, there's very few people we can trust and I know that you have the same reservations about Central as the rest of us. Besides, you've proven to be a skilled fighter and you handle yourself well." Her frame was showing her age as she winced as a spike of pain infiltrated her back and she bit back her sigh. "I know your family prided itself on helping the people and resisting state backed oppression—that's a noble trait. Kaoru _needs_ that type of support and she needs someone with a warrior's spirit."

"You're not a warrior?" It was mocking in nature and Ro gave him a sad smile that aged her significantly as he realized she was wrinkling around the eyes and was barely in her late twenties.

"I'm the daughter of two poor farmers who saw an opportunity to escape from what I thought had been a pre-written destiny, doomed and castigated to the fields," She answered slowly. "I was tempted by the forbidden fruit of uprooting myself and I think, mostly, that I made the correct decision—but being a patroller is not gratifying or admirable. Working for the hand of the government is a far greater pain knowing that it is the same hand that inflicts pain on everyone not deemed worthy of their time. Losing the support of my husband has magnified that sense of dread and guilt that I live with every time we are sent out." Yahiko was stilled by her words as his eyes rounded at the sincerity of such a brutal confession.

"Yet there is a part of me that wants to rectify what has been a long term injustice towards the people of this country, regardless of their cardinal civilization, and I refuse to bow my head to Central," Ro continued as she clenched her fists together. "You are still young, Yahiko, the world can still change in your lifetime. My generation, and that of Sanosuke and Kaoru, has been saddled with this heavy sense of fear and disappointment because we have been unable to right what had been wronged. I cannot call myself a warrior because I, many times, am unsure as to what is the right path to take other than we need to go in a different direction. Kaoru seems to already be ahead of me because she is playing a risk game to pursue what she believes has changed her own personal landscape and ultimately the world around her. Whatever Kenshin may be is key to many changes on so many levels: that's why I'm asking you to help—forge the path that is not the one of destruction that we're tearing down right now."

Yahiko felt the blood drain from his body as such reverent words that spilled from the bubbly blonde's mouth and he could only rest his hands on his knees, head inclining as he tried to reason with Ro's view of how the world was functioning. Although they did not exchange another word that afternoon, Yahiko felt him pledge his support to a cause that he himself felt was already on wavering ground in the already floating world between myth and reality that was slowly being erased as they eclipsed each other more and more.

* * *

Her body was sinking deeper and deeper into the inky and wet embrace of the water and she sighed, tilting her head back as she felt her newly cut hair brush against the nape of her neck as it fanned below her. Her tired body, one that had healed and had been healed, seemed to whine in mild protest as the icy water drew her further and further, her back finally hitting the shallow ground so that only the peaks of her body broke through the surface of the water. She could make out the luminous green lights that zig-zagged through the water slowly, criss-crossing and making paths over the blackened water.

Kaoru closed her blue eyes to the darkness around her as she tried to still her agitated mind, heaving itself against the gilded cage of her body as the warmth seemed to escape from her existence and vanish into nothingness. It was that bizarre place where she had seen the once again amnesiac Kenshin yet there was an apparent absence of him in this undetermined plain that was not her own dreamscape. She felt weightless in the cold waters, despite her shoulder blades and the backs of her knees resting on the smooth bottom of whatever body of water she was in, but she did not feel the panic of becoming hypothermic set in as she found the cold water relaxing and almost soothing over the metaphorical burns that had been inflicted on her life recently.

"I will come find you," She said into the nothingness, her lips barely moving and her eyes remaining closed. The water lapped at her coyly, as though it understood what she wanted to communicate, and it brushed against her with tendril like fingers that kissed the lingering superficial injuries that remained. Kaoru was still as she allowed the water to move over her in its own way, her mind finally settling into a much more comfortable pace as her thoughts seemed to empty from her mind as she welcomed the blankness of thinking about emptiness.

It had been an eternity where her mind had not been racing at breakneck speeds: the emotions and the heavy cross she carried seemed to be drifting away in the gentle waves of the water as she felt truly at peace in the sanctuary of the damp darkness. The greenish lights zoomed around her lightly, swirling and curling into curious shapes around her suspended form, but she paid them no heed as she felt everything come apart and scatter into thousands of directions with no intention of pursuing them for the time being. She wanted to collect her thoughts properly and reorganize her priorities as she was given the rare moment of tranquility to do so where she was not interrupted by anyone or anything.

"Miss. Kamiya," Kenshin's soft voice seemed to ripple on the water as it was distorted and she yanked her eyes open, forcing herself to sit up as her head whirled around and tried to peer into the darkness.

"Are you there?" She called out softly, her mind once again accelerating as though the brakes had been lifted and she was brought back to animated life as the water seemed heavy against her and she could now feel the chill. " _Kenshin_?" A sloshing of water caught her attention as she dragged her gaze to her left and found the hunched form of Kenshin crouching in the same pool of water, his eyes blank and his face void of any recognizable emotions as their eyes met over the rippling water that seemed to grow anxious around them.

"Miss. Kamiya, this one…" He trailed off as he watched as she slowly rose to her feet, her sopping garments clinging to her frame in the oddest of places. He averted his eyes, modesty taking immediate priority for him, as he cleared his throat and continued, "…this one is _glad_ to see that Miss. Kamiya is doing well."

"Likewise," She said not unkindly. "You are unhurt?"

"Yes, this one is fine," He replied slowly, his voice dripping with caution as though tip toeing around what he truly wanted to ask. Kaoru herself was weighing the consequences of letting her first name slip and reminding him of who she was but she knew that, that would be foraging into dangerous territory without knowing where he was or how she could reach him immediately. "This one is just a bit lost… the haze that clouds all memories is quite troublesome, that it is. The time this one has had to reflect and try and recall any semblance of detail has been quite extensive."

"But are you _safe?_ " She asked carefully as she took a halting step towards him before bravely taking another. "You are not in immediate danger?"

"Quite the contrary," He replied mutely. "Is Miss. Kamiya in danger?"

"No," She replied with a shake of her head, "I'm not, thankfully. For the moment, it seems as though there is tentative peace." It was a bitter lie that bit at the tip of her tongue and she winced inwardly at the guilt of lying to such a forgiving and gentle man who was more vulnerable than he was. She came to a halt before him as she kneeled down into the water, her knees sinking into the soft bottom, and she folded her hands together as she considered his averted gaze with her own inquisitive stare.

"This one has been trying to find Miss. Kamiya," Kenshin said lamely as he voice shrunk. "Miss. Kamiya seems to be key in understanding who this one is: now that the opportunity is here, this one is unable to even think of anything to ask." Kaoru's face fell at such defeated words and she wanted to do nothing more than bunch him up in her arms and embrace him, dragging him into the same headspace that she had just exited where she felt nothing but peace. Her hands remained firmly planted where they were as she tilted her head at him and gave him a sympathetic and apologetic look.

"There are some things I know… but I don't think that I can tell you right now," She said quietly. "I do not want to rock the boat—not right now—especially because you are safe. There are some very bad people trying to find you and if they were to get their hands on you, there would be many problems—probably grave ones." She bowed her head at him in stark apology as she murmured the next words quietly: "And the best place for you to be is a safe place."

"Is this one's truth a burden to Miss. Kamiya?"

"A burden," She replied with a ghostly look to her eyes as she locked them with his almost empty violet stare. "You've never been a burden, Kenshin, not when we were together." She gave him a flicker of a smile as she tried to blink back the tears at the memories of their nightly strolls and their dancing at the festival that ended in a way she would have never bet money on happening. "But right now, please, listen to me."

"Miss. Kamiya will not give this one her name then?" His question was disarming and she could almost hear the pleading for her to provide him anything to cling onto in the interim. These two bizarre encounters in this floating world of water and green lights seemed to have neither rhyme or reason and there was no apparent logic to when they would see each other on this plain. Kaoru felt her heart patter uncomfortably at the thought of depriving him of the thing that most wanted: information. Information was crucial in understanding the context of a situation and to begin the arduous process of piecing together the fragments of puzzles to make a workable image to begin to comprehend what had occurred.

"I cannot, not right _now_ ," She said in a near whisper. "I don't know what it would do to you and it's too risky. I'm sorry, I know it's cruel to withhold such details… but it's for your own good." She felt one of her hands unfold as she so desperately wanted to reach out and touch him but she decided against it.

"This one can understand the sentiment and retain patience," Kenshin replied in a calmed voice that did not seem disappointed to Kaoru's human ears. "If Miss. Kamiya has taken such judgement, there is nothing to do but invest in the fact that these decisions are based on good faith." His eyes softened significantly and Kaoru nearly whined in her throat as the gentle nature of the red head that had occupied a space in her home seemed to bleed through the forgotten shell of a man that stood before her.

"When the time comes, I will tell you as much as I know," She whispered as she finally worked up the courage to reach out and tentatively rest her hand on his shoulder. He felt so real, the cords of muscle that hummed with life below his thin garment, the warmth of his body seeming to fend off the chill of the water. "None of this is done to hurt you—I promise."

"This one will take Miss. Kamiya's word," He said, the apprehension evaporating from the air. "However, please permit one question?"

"If I _can_ answer it," She relented, feeling his right hand crawl up and cover the hand resting on her shoulder. She could not see the runes that were emblazoned on his palm but she immediately recognized the gentleness and the warmth of his touch: his fingers were still the same, his skin was still textured as she remembered it being punctuated with callouses and tiny bumps. He allowed himself the moment to cradle her hands as he took a deep breath and looked her in the eye, contenting himself with the azure gaze that regarded him patiently.

"Were the two of us happy? Miss Kamiya said that we lived together, and…"

"—Yes, we were," She replied as a small grin replaced her tightened lips although it still did not fill her eyes with the corresponding feelings. "It was an unconventional relationship, but, yes, we _were_ happy. And we will go back to it soon, I hope." She felt his hand tighten over hers and she saw the broken stare of purple seemingly come alive momentarily as he tugged her forward, tumbling her body ungracefully, and wrapped her into a protective embrace as he refused to cede her hand back to her.

" _K-Kenshin?_ "

"This one will stay put because Miss. Kamiya has requested it," He said quietly into her ear. "This one may not be able to do much, but please… count on whatever support this one may be able to provide." His tone was serious and Kaoru felt chills travel down her body despite his warm embrace holding them together. As they broke apart, he realized that she was fading away into nothingness as her body became transparent and he could see the darkness bleeding into the palette of colours that lightened her soul.

"I will," She managed to say as she vanished into the air with a pop, her hand outstretched and reaching for him before she was yanked away from him once again.

* * *

"I need a favour from you, 'though I ain't happy about asking for it," Sanosuke said gruffly as he propped his feet up on the Captain's table, Aoshi casting him a disdainful look as he prodded at Sanosuke's shoes with the dull end of his pen. They were in Aoshi's private quarters, isolated from the rest of the village as the man preferred a solitary life to one being constantly bombarded with encounters with his subordinates, and it was unusual for him to have a guest.

" _If_ it is regarding Kamiya, there is very little that I can do to provide substantial assistance without compromising the little stability remaining amongst our ranks," Aoshi said dryly. "But please, what can I do for you?" Sanosuke and Aoshi had very little correspondence and they were unsure of their rankings given that Sanosuke was a more autonomous patroller who was called upon for the more grotesque jobs that did not seem to bother him as much as it did the other patrollers who were significantly more inexperienced. The rooster haired man gave Aoshi a harsh look as he crossed his arms over his exposed chest and leaned back in the chair, putting it on two legs.

"It's information," Sanosuke finally said. "Or rather, your opinion—I'm sure that you're aware that Kaoru had touched something she was not supposed to have been touching in the forest." Aoshi did not nod or shake his head, an obvious confirmation to those who knew how he operated. The report had come in from Kanryuu and the forges had also reported that the damages to the weapons that the two women had been carrying did not coincide with the story that the Southerner had told him while Kaoru was in the medical building. He had never heard Kamiya's side of the story nor had he had any particular interest in pursuing it given that as long as the precautions were taken, he was unlikely to throw his own subordinate to Central's wolves.

"And you know that there are a lot of vizinhos coming from the West because of whatever the hell is happening over there given that we are seeing a lot of species that just don't come from these parts," Sanosuke continued as he rocked the chair back and forth on its two legs. "Plus the fact that Enishi literally tried to smoke out whatever it was he was looking for in Tereré and destroyed half the village with zero remorse for the victims. A tried and true tactic when it comes to Central's campaigns."

"Get to the point," Aoshi cut in as he jabbed Sanosuke's foot again with his pen.

"The _point_ ," Sanosuke snorted gruffly, "is what is your opinion on all of these things? It's got me thinking about lots of things." Aoshi's stare was blank as he stared down the rooster-patroller with his narrowed eyes, unsure as to how much he himself was willing to divulge to the patroller. Sanosuke was an honourable patroller—crass and brutish—but dignified and capable of being trusted. Aoshi was aware that Sanosuke had his dealings in the underbelly of the village and was probably hiding more things than he was willing to share but Aoshi's philosophy of 'out of sight, out of mind' was stronger than his own interest in trying to correct Sanosuke's illegal behaviour.

"My opinion is hardly valid considering that there are many things to have an opinion on, but I believe that we are entering into a period in which the other side and this plain are dangerously overlapping," Aoshi said stiffly. "We do not have the means to make such statements but if common sense _were_ to have her say, that is what it appears to be through my eyes. The Captains of the other patroller details share a similar sentiment in their communications but even then there is heavy disagreement as to the degree to which this will escalate.

"Word of what occurred in Tereré has already reached the East and parts of the West from what the telegraphs indicate and there is great unease growing with regards to how Central handled the situation," Aoshi resumed as he tapped the bridge of his nose. "From what I can tell, Enishi's envoy's motives were to try and locate the man that had been illegally residing in your domicile."

"So, you did know," Sanosuke ascertained.

"Of course, there are eyes everywhere," Aoshi said as though it were basic and common knowledge. "It was brought to my attention but given that it did not interfere in Kamiya's conduct at work to a significant degree, I was not going to be the one to raise the alarm to the government."

"So you think that these sorts of coincidences are not really coincidences," Sanosuke egged on the Captain who tilted his chin at him. "They're a sequence of events leading towards something bigger."

"I will not refute your claim," Aoshi replied simply. "We have been investigating significantly, but the leads are not as hot as we would like them to be to be able to make a concrete decision in terms of how to utilize the patrollers to the benefit of the village."

" _Not_ Central."

"Interpret that as you wish," Aoshi retorted. "Please tell Kamiya that, upon reaching Central, she should try to find Okina. He will be able to help her fill it some gaps in information that I myself do not have the right to do so." Sanosuke's eyes widened at the mention of Kaoru's journey to Central and the Captain gave Sanosuke an annoyed look before saying, "I know my patroller: she will have mulled over the options and have decided to go the root herself. It's not difficult if you've been paying attention. Part of my job as a Captain is to be aware of my subordinates' movements and what may hinder them from exercising their profession correctly."

"I see," Sanosuke said warily, understanding the subtle hint that Aoshi was aware of his movements between the legal and illegal sides of his own side affairs. The Captain watched with a bored expression as the rooster haired patroller scraped the chair against the floor and rose to his feet, giving him a firm nod as he tightened his robes over his body before braving the cold night air of the Northern winter.

"Whatever decision Kamiya takes will be one that she has thought through," Aoshi suddenly spoke. "But she is governed by her emotions and she will hesitate when presented something on moral grounds that may be problematic. That is the only thing that puts a chip in her armour. She admirable and has decent potential, but she weakens herself because she cannot be indifferent and use a cold calculus to make snap decisions."

"Anyone could have told you that after living with her for a few years," Sanosuke grumbled as he gave the Captain an irritated look. "She can barely handle the oven when it breaks."

"Despite the questionable nature with regards to Kamiya's cooking, I will offer my support in line with the circumstances that we have at the moment," Aoshi said curtly, dismissing Sanosuke from his office as his penetrating gaze followed the form of the rooster haired patroller through the door.

* * *

As the sky transition to the nighty gradient of blackness, Megumi, Ro, and Yahiko found themselves standing at the same fork in the road that would lead them to Kaoru and Sanosuke's house. The blonde Southerner was sporting her wide brimmed hat, her blue eyes firm and serious as she and Yahiko stood next to each other in similarly tense stances. Yahiko's head was covered with a simple knit cap, his ears unused to the biting cold night air of the North, and they seemed to be bothered by something as they regarded Megumi with equally intense gazes.

"Shall we go together?" Megumi proposed neutrally as Ro nodded, motioning for Yahiko to fall into place with the two older woman as they slowly made their way towards the house. There was a faint light in one of the second story windows and they could make out the hearth's glow as the home's fire burned as it had been since memory could recall. Ro muttered to Yahiko that the Northerners relied on the fires to stay alit through the night so that they occupants would not freeze or suffer from the plunging temperatures of the unforgiving nearly eternal winter. Megumi added a few nuances here and there, to which Yahiko nodded along out of respect more than interest, as they glided over the ground in the faltering light of the day.

"It's true that the sun never shines here," Yahiko remarked as his head tilted upwards.

"The cloud coverage and the mountains make it difficult," Megumi explained as she gave an unapologetic shrug. "It builds character: however, I remember the first year in Central was bizarre given that there were four distinct seasons." Yahiko snorted at the mention of the capital but he refrained from commenting further as he looked over at Ro, whose gaze was resolute as she seemed calmer than what the situation dictated her to be.

"It's this one," Ro said to no one specifically as she pushed by Megumi, much to the vulpine doctor's surprise, and knocked heartily at the door, withdrawing her hand after the fourth as she glowered at the door. Sanosuke opened the door, his shirt open and exposing the plain of muscles of his upper body as he gawked at the trio that were standing on his doorstep.

"You said at nightfall," Yahiko drawled as he drew up next to Ro, Megumi hanging behind the pair as she eyed Sanosuke and tried to comprehend as to what would possess him to answer the door in such a state of dress. The older patroller nodded as he gave them an irritated look, but pushed the door open a bit more for them to have safe passage from the street into the confines of the house. Megumi's eyes widened, Ro's jaw dropped, and Yahiko stared as they came face to face with what looked like a storm that had passed through the house and had scattered everything from documents, to clothes, to random knick-knacks that seemed to have been knocked from the shelves. Kaoru was sitting in the centre of the entire mess, scouring loose leaf documents that were covered in handwritten notes.

"What's the meaning of this?" Megumi demanded as Yahiko closed the door behind them, sliding to the side to avoid any potential crossfire. Kaoru looked up in surprise at the arrival of the other three but she resumed her reading of the papers, seeming to ignore them as Ro removed her hat and rested it on an unoccupied chair, she herself speechless at the disaster of a mess that had been made.

"Sanosuke?" Ro looked over at the taller man. "What the hell happened?"

"When I came home, the Missy had already pulled all our books and documents out of storage and was reading through some texts that her father had left behind," Sanosuke explained as he flopped down on the sofa, scattering some papers about as he watched as Yahiko moved to join him while Megumi and Ro crouched down, each taking a few pages of notes into their hands. "Said something about trying to find her father's last diaries or notes or somethin' like that. Hasn't stopped."

"My father dedicated his life to understanding things that we ourselves cannot understand and I have a feeling that he might have left some sort of clue or something in his notes," Kaoru replied quickly as she ripped her eyes away from the texts once more. "A lot of them we don't have because they were destroyed when they came to our house, but… the ones that I was able to save might have something useful… at least that's what I thought." Her lips turned down into a sliver of a frown as she set aside what she was reading and reached for a beaten leathered bound book that did not have any indication as to what its contents could be.

"We can do that on our end," Ro spoke quietly as she reached for the book in Kaoru's hand. "We can't go to be with you in Central, not yet, but we can try and help you with what we have here, remember? You've got the journey to Nantia tomorrow to worry about—"

"—And you certainly haven't packed correctly," Megumi sniffed as she gave Kaoru a disapproving look. "I can see that your sack is lacking in quite a few things: you're going to Central, anything that you need there, you can get. Pack practically." Kaoru opened her mouth to protest but she snapped her jaw shut as she knew that Megumi, someone who spoke with the voice of authority on the issue, would not let her defend her lack of materials. "Besides, I have a gift for you—not medical supplies, you've got enough here—but, well, I think it will help someone who tends to attract trouble in spades."

"A gift?" Kaoru replied and even Yahiko sat up a bit further on the sofa as he peered over the back of the piece of furniture, his eyes alert and curious as Megumi set the bag she had been carrying on the floor in front of Kaoru. Ro and Sanosuke exchanged glances, they themselves unsure as to what could be in the bag that sat ominously before Kaoru.

"Open it," Megumi said simply as she tilted her chin at the younger woman. Kaoru gave Megumi a perplexed expression, but she reached into the bag and felt her fingers brush against an oddly shaped object wrapped in cloth. She fumbled around within the bag, trying to get her grasp on the object, and she pulled it slowly from the bag as the cloth loosened and fell from the object partially, allowing Kaoru and the rest to fixate their eyes on the small firearm that Kaoru was holding in her right hand.

"That's some sort of joke, _right_?" Yahiko said suddenly as he felt Sanosuke move next to him, rising to his feet as he stalked closer to Kaoru. "That's extremely—"

"—Illegal and _will_ bring her problems," Ro finished Yahiko's statement as she turned to Megumi and asked, "What were you thinking? Why do you have this?" Sanosuke crouched down on the floor next to Kaoru, debating if he wanted to pluck the firearm from her hands but he decided against it for the moment as Kaoru stared down at the weapon in her hand.

"Why do you have this, Fox?" Sanosuke's question was reasonable as all eyes sans Kaoru's went to the lingering form of Megumi who seemed unbothered by the heavy blanket of skepticism surrounding her questionable gift.

"It was given to me by someone with good intentions and I am passing it on to the next person with the same attitude," Megumi replied sharply as she refused to bow her head at the grave nature surrounding such a dangerous gift for someone about to attempt to breach Central.

"If she gets caught with that it's immediate execution!" Ro protested loudly as she gave Megumi an incredulous look.

"If she gets caught sneaking into anywhere in Central it's immediate execution," Yahiko pointed out as he gave his blonde Southern counterpart a hard look. "If anything, it gives her a chance to do something about it—although Ugly probably will use it wrong."

"And you know how to use it, runt?" Sanosuke grunted.

"—If you all wouldn't mind, _please_ stop shouting for two minutes," Kaoru grumbled as she found three pairs of eyes on her and she shrunk away as she held the weapon to her chest protectively. "We know a bit about them because of our work, but I've never used one myself—and I doubt that trying to use it so close to the village is a good idea either." She pushed her feet underneath her as she rose to her full height, her shorter hair brushing against her cheeks as she turned to Megumi. "I think, despite the illegality, it's practical: it's small, I can hide it, and if I need…" She trailed off, unable to finish the last part of her utterance, not wanting to have images of bullets ripping through flesh haunting her already damaged conscious.

"You can't be serious about carrying that," Ro sputtered as she ran a hand through her hair and gave Kaoru a nervous look.

"If she's walking around with her normal choice of weaponry, it's bad news," Megumi tried to reason. "It's a natural choice—besides, once within Central, there are no vizinhos and the only threat to her will be other humans. It's hardly practical for her to wave around a wooden sword."

"That's a valid point," Yahiko said in deceptively easy agreement with Megumi. "We're not getting anywhere with this argument though."

"He's right," Sanosuke raised a valid point as he crossed his arm. "If the Missy wants to take it, it's her decision to make a stupid mistake." Kaoru frowned at the hint of her blundering what she was setting out to do and she knew that the ride to Nantia the following day would be uncomfortable but she nodded at Megumi, folding the cloth over the weapon once more as she drew a halting breath before turning to the other two patrollers and the young fighter.

"I'll take it," She said firmly. "I don't like it, but it's better than nothing."

"That's fine," Megumi replied with an arched eyebrow. "Use it well, that is, if you need to use it."

"I will," Kaoru affirmed as her eyes adopted a strangely determined glimmer to them that had been shockingly absent. "This will be the last time I pick up a weapon—it's decided. After, I'm swearing them off." Ro and Sanosuke exchanged cautious looks before bobbing their heads, Yahiko was silent as he leaned against the sofa, and Megumi gave Kaoru a tentative smile at the realization that even Kaoru had grown weary of such mindless violence that seemed to contribute to more suffering as opposed to easing the pain of the people.

"It's time to find the answer to all these questions."

* * *

A/N: Hello~ it's been a hot minute! Work keeps me busy, but I was able to get an update in. :D

The interaction between Kenshin and Kaoru is roughly inspired by the song 'Spirit in the Sky' by Keiino (the Norweigan representatives in this year's Eurovision). Very interesting blending of Sami culture and folklore into a pop song.

As usual, don't own Rurouni Kenshin, just the plot. Don't forget to review!


	22. Chapter 22

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XXII

To Nantia

"May your journey overflow with curves and bends."

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

A/N: Last update for a while folks. See the end of chapter for more info.

* * *

"Now you be careful," Ro said as she peered at Kaoru from beneath her hat, tipping it upwards so that she could lock gaze with her friend. "Central's a wild place." They were standing at the entrance to the village, Sanosuke the one escorting Yahiko and Kaoru to Nantia to catch the train the next day in the early hours of the morning. They were to stay in an inn that was used to the movements to the other parts of the North and Sanosuke swore by it that the innkeeper did not ask questions or look too deeply into things. Megumi was standing next to Ro, her hands folded within the massive sleeves of her cloak.

"I will," Kaoru said with a half reassuring smile as she inclined her head. "I'll try to send a message within a few days."

"If we don't have anything in two weeks, Sanosuke and I will come after you," The blonde said with a teasing curve to her lips. "And I mean it: _two weeks!_ "

"I think she understands," Megumi said irritably as she gave the blonde Southern a heated look as Ro then turned to Yahiko and began to ramble things off to him in their dialect, the Northerners only catching a few words here and there as they craned their necks to try and pick out the bizarre twist on the language. Yahiko gave Ro an annoyed look, but he smiled as Ro rolled something off her tongue, making him laugh dryly and the blonde sighed as she ran a nervous hand over her cloak.

"Do you have everything we gave you?" Megumi enquired as she crossed her arms over her chest. It was hardly necessary for her to elaborate more on her statement, the heavy truth that existed amongst the group as they took their pact in silence. Megumi had given her the most basic of medical supplies and the dubious firearm, Ro had gifted her with rations and good wishes, and Sanosuke had slipped a few small knives into her pack when she had not been looking as well as what looked to a mixture of herbs that, when set on fire, would ward off any lurking vizinhos. The three had also pooled together and filled a small pouch with coins and currency bills that would tide Kaoru over until she was able to make her own way in the capital.

"I do," Kaoru confirmed with a nod.

"Well, I guess this is the end of the road for us for now," Ro said caustically as she sighed dramatically before wrapping Kaoru into a sisterly hug. "Remember, two weeks! If not, we're going to tear up Central looking for you." Kaoru returned the suffocating embrace as she leaned into the sisterly blonde that she had befriended in the darkest period of her young life on that cursed Earth. Ro withdrew as Megumi stepped forward, offering Kaoru a much gentler hug as well as a pinch on the arm, warning her to behave and to not act foolishly.

"Central is a big place, but just remember what I told you," Megumi whispered as she released her friend from her tentative embrace.

"Expect a message before two weeks," Kaoru reaffirmed as she bobbed her head at them, watching as Yahiko and Sanosuke moved forward down the trodden path that snaked away from Tereré and towards the bigger city of Nantia. Kaoru stood with her back to the two men, regarding the two females that waited hesitantly beneath the massive gate that marked the entrance to the village.

"Be careful," Ro said sadly as she raised her hand to wave her friend off, her blue eyes firm as she peered from beneath the rim of her hat. "There's a lot of us who will miss you, you know?" Megumi jabbed Ro in the side, giving her a look that was probing as to why she would even hint at the possibility to death despite the fact everyone standing there was aware that there was a significant disadvantage and it was more than likely to be a hairy situation from which Kaoru would have to escape with her claws shredding at the very last ribbons of Central's hold on her.

"We'll be back before you know it," Yahiko called in dialect as he extended his arm upwards and waved goodbye. "Ugly has me to count on, remember?" Megumi and Ro did not laugh but they managed to plaster withering smiles on their faces at the young man's confidence as Kaoru turned away from them, stepping towards the two males that were waiting for her to catch up with them down the path. She could feel the two sets of eyes glued on her back and she straightened her stance more, tucking her hood over her bobbed hair as she glowered down the path and tried to stare right through towards the neighbouring city, she herself swallowing a hearty lump that had formed in her throat.

"It will be about a ten hour walk from here, maybe we'll get lucky with a trader passing by," Sanosuke remarked as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "It's best to get to Nantia before darkness falls completely."

"Is there a lot of vizinho activity?" Yahiko asked as he looked up at the rooster haired patroller that towered over him.

"More so now than there was before, probably because of what's happening in the West," Sanosuke replied breezily. "Gotta be careful, but we should be okay as long as we keep a good pace." Kaoru tuned into their conversation silently as they began to swap stories about vizinhos, talking about different classifications and which ones tended to roam the South more than the North as well as their reactions to various remedies to fend them off from human populations. She was lingering a meter back from them, close enough that it would not raise any alarms, far enough behind that she could afford to drift in and out of their conversation if she desired to do so.

The path that they followed for the next few hours was gruelling as it changed in walkability, elevation, hills to flat land, and terrain. Her feet ached in her boots and she could feel a blister forming on her heels despite the years of running through the forest and navigating terrain. Kaoru found herself longing for the marshy and mossy textures under her feet as opposed to the broke stone road, promising that she would soak her tired feet in the bath that evening before departing on the train the following day.

She had never walked the road to Nantia, content with existing within the limiting borders of Tereré, and she found that life outside the village perimeter was significantly dull and vast space that was dotted with forests, hills, or the occasional small enclave of humans that settled closer to the bigger village in the North. They did not dare to stop in the villages en route to Nantia, Sanosuke saying that there was very little motivation to do so, and they passed by various whose hearths were still burning.

It was entering the seventh hour when Kaoru finally requested that they take a quick break, citing that her feet were raw and that she could feel the blistering becoming insufferable. She grimaced as Sanosuke and Yahiko looked back at her but they relented, allowing Kaoru to plop down on the side of the road, draped in her cloak as she bit her lip slowly. The two men were tiring quickly as well and they were aware that they had another few kilometres to cover before reaching the outskirts of Nantia. As they crouched down next to the female, Yahiko fished out some potatoes that Megumi had steamed for them and handed each traveler one of the now-cold spuds.

"Thanks," Kaoru said quietly as she studied it before taking a hesitant bite, appreciating the opportunity to regain some of her energy.

"How long do we have before we get there?" Yahiko asked as he ripped off a chunk of potato with his teeth and savagely swallowed it.

"Another two hours or so of walking, the hardest part is the last hill because it's steep, but if we get going in the next ten minutes, we should be able to do it before nightfall," Sanosuke replied as he shoved the potato into his mouth, ballooning his cheeks outward in a comical fashion that seemed unbecoming of him. His eyes were ringed with blackness, hinting at his lack of sleep, but Kaoru knew better than to comment on it to avoid him fussing over it.

The walk, while pleasant enough, had been solitary and had given Kaoru a generous amount of time to try and formulate her plan of attack upon reaching Central. Megumi had attempted to brief her a bit on the geography of the capital city and had explained how its grid pattern was easy to navigate and how the streets used a numbering system instead of names. Kaoru had memorized the map that Megumi had sketched out as well as the easier areas to move about without too much scrutiny from the police.

"Let's get moving," Sanosuke said stiffly as he pushed himself to his feet, dusting the small pieces of dirt from his cloak as he looked down at Kaoru and Yahiko. The other two scrambled to their feet, Kaoru hissing at the pressure her boots put on her aching feet, but she relented as she steadied herself and gathered up her sack and gave their pit stop a quick look over to ensure that nothing had been left behind. Sighing quietly, she trotted towards Sanosuke and Yahiko, joining up with them as they moved back towards the beaten path that they had been following before. She could see the massive hill that Sanosuke had mentioned looming ahead and she felt her feet cry out in angry protest but did not say anything as she trudged along with a solemn look painting her already tired face and even grimmer shade darker.

* * *

"You seem troubled, sister," Enishi purred as he regarded the form of his sister who had taken up residence near the massive bay window that overlooked Central. She had resisted his invitations to change out of her more ragged clothing and into the ones that he deemed appropriate for a woman of her caliber, to which she turned up her nose with a comment that sent him reeling. She was perched on the cushions that she had fetched from one of the sitting rooms and she seemed deep in contemplative thought as though she saw things that his eyes would never see for themselves.

"What bothers you? Are you dissatisfied with the care you receive here?" Tomoe had taken to refusing the gourmet food or picked at the simpler dishes of rice or at the root vegetables that were lacking in sauces or exotic flavouring. She would leave the tray, encouraging the overworked maid to eat the more nutritious food in her stead, and she would sip on tea or water as she stared through the window with her levelled stare.

"Are you unhappy that we are back together?"

"I find it to be bothersome, _yes_ ," She finally answered without turning her head to regard her brother. "I find it also bothersome that your men are interfering in the threads that destiny have laid out despite my constant warning." Enishi gave her a passive shrug as he took a step towards her and crossed his arms beneath the robe that was draped elegantly over his broad shoulders. His eyes were sharp and attentive as he stared at his sister with a bemused look on his face, finding the accusation mildly entertaining.

"You know my opinion on destiny as being a construct of our minds to understand why certain coincidences occur," Enishi said dismissively as he halted a mere half meter away from his sister who still denied him the attention of eye contact. "You also know that the country and our need to expand and innovate trumps any investment of time or belief in something that may or may not exist." His stance was lax as he inhaled softly, his sister's back still straight and proud as he was well aware that his answer bothered her deeply.

"The key to our nation's success is the capturing of the Vestige," Enishi offered as he tried to initiate some reaction from his sibling. "You are aware that the Vestige is what separates or unites us with the other side. If that sort of power is harnessed and controlled, humanity will secure their placement within this ever turbulent world. I'm sure you're aware of the situation in the West, yes?"

"The rivers have run red with the slaughter, yes, I'm aware," Tomoe answered stiffly. "They are migrating towards the North as well as making their way towards the coast. The other side is surely whipping itself into a frenzy because of this disturbance." Her eyes were narrow as she caught her brother's reflection's gaze and looked down at her hands that rested on her lap.

"The West was becoming too unruly for my tastes," Enishi said in faux-defensiveness.

"The West was trying to repair the damage that had been caused in the campaigns and they were trying to re-establish some semblance of normalcy under the circumstances that your Delegation imposed on them," Tomoe countered briskly as she balled her hands into fists. "That can _hardly_ be called unruly."

"You would be wise to bite your tongue, sister," Enishi said darkly as his gaze narrowed. "You are in no position to criticize from this lovely gilded cage that I am providing you to ensure that you remain safe during what will become a period of turmoil and instability." His words were bitter and laced with venom as Tomoe finally looked back at him, her own dark eyes neutral as she regarded her brother and his tightened stance. "I will find the Vestige and utilize him as the foundation to our society's ascending beyond what we believe we are capable of. The resources, the technology, the lands, the rivers—everything will fall under our domain as it should have before the sympathizers became involved and sabotaged us."

"You've gone mad," Tomoe said bitterly as she turned away from him and peered out over the sprawling capital city that served as the base of the root of corruption that her brother had not only planted but had also allowed to grow far and wide in its influence. The city had modern structures that were four to five stories tall, lights flickered in most of the windows, and there were ornamental gardens that decorated many interior courtyards and patios. There were beautiful fountains that spurted out clean water, apt for drinking, there were lovely streets that were well maintained, statues and monuments to heroes and iconic figures, and gaslights that lined the streets.

It was the ideal city, protected by the high walls that ringed around it, and was the nucleus of economic, political, and social power that drove the country. It was wrought with dirty politics and even dirtier politicians who had few qualms about sullied hands as they worked under Enishi to practice their craft with little moderation to ensure that they were acting in the best interests. The capital could have hemorrhaged money yet the affluence ensured that the city's heart keep beating.

"Power does incredible things to men," Enishi chuckled as his eyes gleamed behind his glasses. "It's hardly unique to me."

"There will be retaliation," She said quietly.

"So be it," Enishi retorted with a snort. "Our country has been preparing itself for retaliation for the better part of the past decade. Humans are much stronger than what we were in the old days, sister, and we have backed ourselves with science and technology. Magic is a dying art."

"Is that why your bullet was unable to kill the Vestige in Tereré?" Her question was sharp as daggers as she focused on a particular building and counted the windows on the side that faced her window. She knew that Enishi would not answer her, he never did when she bested him when information was used against him, and she heard an angry gasp being drawn in slowly. Tomoe knew it was a question of time but she could hear the threads of destiny shifting and being pulled and tugged, creating a cacophony of noises in her mind as she felt herself pulled in various directions, knowing that whatever awaited was surely to end in defeat.

"I will retire for the evening, sister, please do the same," Enishi finally requested, avoiding her question as she had predicted out of knowing her brother as opposed to her ability to perceive outcome.

"Good night," She said simply, but he had already abandoned the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Kenshin's head tilted upwards towards the darkening sky as he blinked, momentarily taking in the golden and fire red tendrils that streaked against the sky as the dark shades of night seemed to fade into existence. He was sitting out on Pops' patio, helping the elderly man sort herbs into various containers that were lovingly labeled, while the older man busied himself with preparing them a simple dinner inside the confines of the small home. It was mostly silent with the exception of the sounds of the springs bubbling or a plop as something fell from a tree into the water.

He had been silent for the afternoon, only answering Pops with guttural throat noises as his mind was occupied with the image of Miss. Kamiya and the azure stare that seemed to hide many secrets from him that he knew he needed to understand to be able to comprehend who he was. There was something troubling to her stare that settled poorly within him and it disturbed him that she seemed to be carrying something so massive on her tiny shoulders without letting him reach out with an offer of support or help. Her voice was foreign yet rich to his ear, a faint dialect creeping into her words, and it lingered in the back of his mind as her words seemed to play on an endless loop that only he could hear.

"You'll get a crick in your neck," Pops' voice said with an amused chuckle. "Seems like you've got something on your mind." Kenshin felt the older man approach him carefully from behind, his weight making the wooden boards creak in announcing his arrival. In one hand was a small pot of a hearty stew that was made from rich tubers and roots in the area and seasoned with spices that Misao had brought back at some point and in the other were two large glasses of chilled black tea.

" _Ah_ ," Kenshin managed as he rose to his feet, sweeping the last of the blue green pond grass into its corresponding jar before capping it and setting it aside.

"What's troubling your mind?" Pops asked as he set the pot down and plopped the glasses into their allocated spaces at the table. He settled down onto the floor, his joints cracking loudly as he grunted, as he reached to serve Kenshin his portion of the food. "You've had your head in the clouds all day, son."

"This one is bothered by many things that seem to have answers that this one is being denied," Kenshin replied quietly as he silently accepted the chipped bowl from Pops. "As well as by the vision of Miss. Kamiya."

"You've had another one, eh," Pops said thoughtfully as he served himself and dug into the thick stew with a spoon that had seen better days. "When did you have this vision?"

"Last night," The red head answered as he stared down into his bowl, his appetite dropping as he tried to recall the more important details of the encounter with the raven haired woman in his dreams. "Miss. Kamiya gave me some important information but…"

"… _But_?" The older man prompted.

"…This one has been left with many more questions," Kenshin finished as he opted to at least try to fill his stomach with tea. He sipped at the chilled black tea carefully as he contemplated how to explain what he had learned through his dream to the older man seated patiently before him.

"I see," Pops said with a sigh. "What sort of information were you given? Anything that has at least given you a clue?" He abandoned his own stew as he slid the bowl to the side and folded his hands on the top of the table. His face was tired and his eyes were slightly sunken but he gave Kenshin a reassuring smile that reminded the amnesiac that he was free to speak of his own accord without judgement passed on him.

"Miss. Kamiya said that there were bad people looking for this one, that she did, and she said she did that there would be grave problems if they were to capture this one," Kenshin confessed quietly and hesitantly. "She was preoccupied and said that she wanted for this one to be in a safe place and would not give this one her real name for that reason. Safety." He returned his glass to the table, setting it down in the ring of condensation that had formed on the worn wood, and settled his hands on his knees as he stared down at the table and began to count the knots in the wood.

"Bad people? I have an inkling as to who it may be in that case," Pops said carefully as he debated if letting Kenshin have this small bit of information to cling to would be beneficial or cause more turmoil. "If the situation has not changed back home, my guess would be that the bad people who want you are after you because you're a walking manifestation of magic. A true rarity on the human side—highly valuable and highly sought after for exploitation. No wonder Miss. Kamiya wishes to keep you away from the human plain." His tired eyes were pensive as Kenshin's violet stare bore into his own.

"The human plain has been thrown into chaos over the last decade or so because of one man who is determined to ensure that humanity triumphs over nature, taming it to bend to human will and necessity," Pops said solemnly. "There was already a very delicate yet progressive relationship that both sides had been working towards yet… it was destroyed." His tone was flat as he intertwined his gnarled fingers together and undid them several times. "It has shaped how the nation, as well as the world, have come to have a much more hostile relationship with the other side. Consequently, that relationship has been exploited by a few people and has brought a once great land to its knees.

"Misao occasionally tells me about how things have degraded on the human side and how life has become more a struggle for survival as opposed to something celebrated," Pops continued in a withdrawn tone. "She's young enough to have been born into a world that was already partially shaped by these people's motives. She's also smart enough to take their word at face value and reject their promises and attempts to control her generation with manipulation. The leader is a charismatic man, given he has to be to have arrived to such a position, but he's ruthless and does not hesitate to destroy whatever impedes his agenda. He's been able to secure his hold on the country and will burn villages to the ground if needed if it means achieving his objective."

"What a horrible individual," Kenshin said mutely as his mind wandered to if Pops was speaking of the same individuals that Miss. Kamiya had told him were trying to seek him out. Within the context of Pops' words, he was able to understand why Miss. Kamiya was adamant about him remaining safely tucked away from the world but he was now questioning if she was edging closer to such a dangerous individual herself. The woman seemed to give off airs of intelligence and there was a bright gleam to her eye that hinted that she was much more than her outward appearance let on but Kenshin felt a knot in his stomach form at the thought of her living in such a world that was built on fear and exploitation of the common individual.

"Horrible would be a _lesser_ word," Pops said dryly.

"Were you affected by these people?" Kenshin's question made the older man freeze momentarily as his hands slowed into nothing and his eyes iced over in cool contemplation that were a contrast to his normally gentle orbs brimming with wisdom and kindness. His entire body had stiffened at the six words that had tumbled from the red heads mouth as he forced himself to relax and edge back from the table.

"Yes, I was," He answered warily.

"How so?" Kenshin knew that he was venturing into dangerous territory with such questions but he relented as he knew that information was precious and this was a rare opportunity to grasp a fragment of understanding on the human plain. Pops kept a tight-lipped expression as he seemed incapable of reaching a conclusion to if he wanted to answer such an intimate question: Kenshin knew as much about the older man as he knew about himself. The old man, while fatherly and kindly, had not revealed too much information about himself and had a hint of secrecy around him that was unsettling. Exhaling slightly as he trained his now steely gaze at the mere thought of what he had lost in the last few years, he finally answered.

"Because of them, I've never seen my family again."

"Your family?" Kenshin's voice was drawn as he felt that pit in his stomach flare up in warning.

"To be precise: _my daughter._ "

* * *

"I could use a drink," Sanosuke muttered as he peeled off his boots and lobbed them across the room, nearly missing Kaoru and Yahiko's heads. They had ran the last few kilometres as a storm threatened to pour on them, the clouds setting in quickly with the familiar rumble of thunder, and Kaoru had let out a rare curse as she felt her own feet protest angrily at her and the blisters that had formed on her feet. She had nearly shucked her boots from her feet in the lobby of the small inn but Yahiko had given her a weird look that mirrored that of the sullen faced inn-keeper.

"A drink," Kaoru replied dryly as she sprawled back on the comfortable sleeping mat that she had rolled out closest to the fire place as she had had spread out her cloak and socks to dry. They had been soaked in the last half kilometre and Sanosuke had got turned around in the darkness of the small town, forcing them to wander a bit through the village before finding the inn that was a few doors down from the train station. She had stripped down to her pants and shirt, her short hair mercifully almost dry from the fire, and felt the chills leave her body as she grew accustomed to the warmth.

"Yeah, a drink, it'll take the edge off," Sanosuke answered as he glanced down at the form of Yahiko. The younger boy had busied himself with setting up his sleeping mat with the blankets and pillow the inn keeper had left at the foot of the matt and he was spreading the blanket out to cover the majority of the matt.

"Why? It should be Ugly having the drink, not you," Yahiko said bluntly as he examined his handiwork before flopping onto the overstuffed matt and let his body sink into warm embrace of sheets and blankets.

"I'll be plenty worried enough to justify a drink, brat," Sanosuke countered. "Besides, this is the first time the Missy and I have been separated for so long. A quick drink to wish you off well wouldn't be such a bad idea." He gave a passive shrug as he ran a hand through his still sopping wet hair. "Neither would a shower."

"Go have a shower and then we can have a quick drink," Kaoru said as she herself stretched out her limbs on the mattress and arched her back in a very feline like way. "The train doesn't leave until late morning, but we should still take advantage of any rest we can get here."

"Good point," Yahiko muttered as he yawned widely and snuggled deeper into the matt. "Take your time, Sano, ain't no rush for you to get out of the shower." He was tired enough that his Southern dialect had bled into his words and both Northerners looked down at him with semi amused expressions before Sanosuke retreated through the door and down the hallway to the communal showers. As the door closed behind him, Yahiko flopped over onto his side and eyed Kaoru as though he wanted to say something but was debating if it was worth the effort or not.

"What?" She finally said as she arched an eyebrow at him. It had been an uncomfortable ten minutes of him eyeing her that had ultimately prompted her response.

"That weapon that Megumi gave you," He began slowly as he jerked his head at Kaoru's unassuming sack that rested at the foot of her bed. "Are you really going to use it?"

"What brought _this_ up?"

"You don't seem like the type who wants to use something like that," Yahiko pointed out neutrally. "You don't seem like the type who wants to fight in general, you know? You're not super girly or nothing, but… dunno." Kaoru's face fluctuated between various polar opposites as she tried to grasp at what he was hinting at but she relented as she sighed and curled further into the blankets she had not taken the time to roll out properly.

"You're right, but it was better than other things that I could have been doing," She said simply. "It was tough to be a woman to begin with, but at least I had a job that kept me away from what a lot of women end up doing if they don't have a skill they can give to the government. Considering we don't even have schools and half the population is illiterate, well, it was just one of the few alternatives—amongst other things." She sighed as she rolled back onto her back so she was facing the ceiling. "I don't like fighting and killing, I wasn't born into that and my… family… wanted me to move towards a more intellectual field. Of course, that all changed, but…"

"… You still hate it," Yahiko finished. "I don't blame you if you can't pull the trigger, you know? You're almost _too_ nice."

"T-thanks?"

"You should be thankful that your parents wanted something different for you," Yahiko grumbled as he rolled away from her so that his back was facing her. Kaoru was silent as she heard Sanosuke's footsteps coming down the hallway and she clasped her hands on her belly as she sighed deeply, knowing that Yahiko's blatant observation did not come from malice but rather wayward concern. Ro had told her in privacy that Yahiko's family, while from a lineage of brave warriors, had been wiped out when he was a mere child and he had been orphaned. Forced to fend for himself and learn how to move through the world on his own, he had garnered a personality that was, at times, prickly—but with justification.

"Showers are decent, get one before you get on the train tomorrow," Sanosuke announced as he walked in through their door with a towel slung around his shoulders. He himself looked less tense as he stared down at the two sprawled out figures but Kaoru picked up on a hint of something behind his brown gaze that reminded her that he, too, was slightly anxious about this entire plan and had his own reservations. It was the first time that Kaoru had seen the older patroller in such a state and she herself could feel the unease rolling off of him.

"How about that drink?"

"Alright," She said in easy agreement and Yahiko replied with a snort. "But I want to take a shower first, hey?"

* * *

Night had fallen over the somber Northern lands as its inhabitants moved to tuck themselves in and settle down for the evening. There were the tell-tale signs of life that were the fires that hummed within the hearths of the homes, there were also herbs strung above doors or shoes caked with mud and dirt drying in the cool night air. The sky was starless and moonless, the only light coming from man made sources and Misao held back the urge to sneeze as she curled further underneath the cloak that she had procured as she skirted over the frigid grounds and moved towards the only inn in the small town.

She had vanished from the Southern lands, hopping from train to train as she left a wide berth between her and the Central plains, opting to take the slower moving trains that hugged the coast before curving towards Nantia. They were horribly old structures that shook, sputtered, groaned, creaked, and threatened to break down at any moment. It had taken her a solid few days to make the journey, having jumped on and off the trains in various towns to avoid attracting too much attention from fellow passengers and it had worn her out significantly. Her hair was hustled and knotted, her clothes were rank, and she was desperate for a bath.

When she had not found trace of Yahiko in Chotororo upon her crossing back to the human side, she knew that he had gone North on the whim that Ro's words had sparked some sort of interest in the young fighter. Misao herself also found herself intrigued by the words: the one called Kenshin had stank of charred remains, fire, and had been sporting the nasty burns from an excessive magic use. It was enough to prompt her to investigate and she had thrown everything together urgently as she shoved her warmest clothing into her sack, hoping it would suffice for the bitter winds of the North.

She had ran back to Pops as quickly as possible, letting him know in discrete secrecy that she was going to go North—much to his surprise—and she quickly made her way to the next town with a station as she began her arduous journey towards Nantia. She was unsure as to how easy it would have been locate Yahiko and she had overheard a few passengers mumbling about the gruelling foot journey to Tereré because of the lack of connections. Misao prayed that a kindly farmer would let her hitch a ride or she knew that she would be in for an even harder and longer journey before she reached her targeted Tereré. She was unsure as to how much attraction a single female traveling would attract and she found herself trying to work up the courage to see if there was a traveling party making their way to the North.

As she slipped off the train and rested her feet on the cold concrete platform, she turned her head upwards and found herself frowning at the apparent lack of natural light that seemed to penetrate the mentalities of the Northern people: they were famed for their hardiness and their brutal nature, having had to adjust and become accustomed to such conditions. As she passed by a few native Northerners, she noticed that their eyes were solemn and their expressions grim as they mumbled amongst themselves as they slowly moved towards the exit of the small station. Misao found her brow arching at such a lack of emotion and the utter coldness she felt from the natives and she whirled around and sped up a bit more to see if she could find the singular inn in the small town to see if there was any information to be gathered or at least determine if she would be hoofing it to Tereré.

She stepped into the warm confines of the inn, her teeth chattering as she ran her hands up and down her arms in the attempts to warm herself. The inn keeper regarded her warily before greeting her with a curt, "Hello, may I help you?"

"Do you have any rooms left?"

"For how many nights?"

"Just one," Misao replied.

"I have a small one," The inn keeper answered guardedly as they stared at Misao before reaching for the ledger where guests' names were scribbled in, in chicken-scratch. "Sign you name. Payment is made in two parts: one now, one tomorrow." Misao made a face but snatched the pen up as she signed her name quickly and reached into the hidden folds of her cloak and fished out her small money purse and enquired how much the first half pay would total. Slamming the coins onto the counter, she tapped her foot impatiently as the inn keeper inspected each coin before reaching into a drawer and pulling out a key, jutting their head towards the end of the hallway.

"Up the stairs, fourth on the right," They drawled. "The shower is at the end of the hall. It's communal."

"Huh," Misao hummed as she snatched up the key and backed away from the desk, her sack hitting her side heavily. She darted up the stairs, taking them two at a time, as she breached the landing and slid towards her door, jamming the key in and pushing it open, The room was modest yet clean, sufficient for her standards, and she spotted the towels neatly folded at the foot of her sleeping mat. Shedding her cloak and her travel sack, she made a bee-line for the towel and picked it up as she tried to spot any soaps or hygiene products. Seeing as there weren't any, she huffed, but she yanked open the door and pocketed the key as she slammed the door and moved towards the showers, desperate to clean the grime from her body.

As she entered the bathroom, she found that there was another female there with a bizarre bobbed hair cut in a half undressed state. Misao found that her gaze met the woman's in the reflecting glass and the other woman continued to strip herself as she set her socks to the side in a beat up wicker basket, depositing them carefully to avoid wrinkling her black garments. Misao assumed that the woman was a Northerner by her lack of greeting and she moved around her as she began to peel away the clothes that seemed to have fused with her skin to create another layer of annoyance.

They both undressed quietly, the other woman barely sparing her a glance as she moved towards the open shower that was largely a tiled space, faded away from its original glory, with various showerheads affixed to the wall. The woman opened the faucet and allowed the water to come rushing down, her body loosening up as the water cascaded down her legs and into the central drain. Misao spied that the woman had carried with her a small bottle of what looked to be a cleaning soap and she glanced around to see if there was anything else in the shower. Grimacing when she realized that she should have brought her own, she decided that at least removing the dirt and sweat from her body would have to be enough until she could purchase some soap.

Joining the other woman silently under the water, she leaned back and allowed her long hair to catch the water as she let out a small groan of satisfaction, her bright eyes closing as she let the water pelt her body.

"Sorry, but… do you need some soap?" Misao's eyes snapped back open and she found blue eyes staring at her with a guarded yet benign expression on the other woman's face. She was holding out the small bottle, a quiet offering, and Misao looked down at it before fixing her gaze back on the other female's face.

"Yeah, actually…" She replied as she graciously accepted it and squirted a few dollops onto her arms, her belly, and her hair. Heading the bottle back to the other female, she lathered herself up and moved towards her hair, pleased that the scent was a gentle fragrance and not something overpowering. "Thanks a lot."

"You're from the South, right?" Misao froze momentarily as the other woman gave her a small smile. "One of my closest friends is a Southerner, too. Once you hear that accent… it sticks." Misao let her lips curve into a knowing smile as she nodded, confirming the other woman's guess.

"I guess it does," Misao admitted. "You're from around here?"

"Further north," The woman replied easily as she adjusted the temperature of the water. "Just passing through as most people do. What brought you up here?"

"I'm looking for a friend," Misao answered, determining that it was a neutral enough answer that would not arouse too much suspicion. The other woman nodded as she gave a chortled laugh and replied, "I'm going out to look for one, too." They made pleasant small talk in the bathroom, introducing themselves as Kaoru offered to re-braid Misao's long hair to which Misao accepted her offer. They were squatting on the floor as Kaoru made quick work of the task, explaining a few things that Misao asked about with regards to the North and how to get around.

"It's not easy up here," Misao remarked as Kaoru finished off the braid.

"No, but when it's all you know…" Kaoru drifted off as she left her statement unfinished. The two finished up in the showers and dried themselves off in amicable silence, allowing themselves a chance to gather their thoughts. Exiting the showers together, Kaoru giving a small wave as her room's door opened and a tall man and a shorter and younger male popped their heads out to which Misao gasped:

"Yahiko?"

"Misao?"

* * *

A/N: Finally, reunited (at least in part).

Work has been keeping me busy and I've not had enough time to pre-write the chapters. Ideally, I would like to pre-write as much as I can during the summer, so, I will be trying to do that in between traveling for work and holidays. This story is not abandoned, but it won't get the love it needs for a bit.

Don't forget to review! :)


	23. Chapter 23

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XXIII

All Aboard

"May your journey overflow with greetings and farewells."

Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace.

* * *

Kaoru sat awkwardly, sipping at the creamy drink that the barmaid had slammed down in front of her, her side pressed up against Sanosuke in the cramped booth in the small dinky pub that flanked the train station. In front of her were Yahiko and Misao, their eyes reserved and guarded as they considered the two Northerners before them with a healthy dose of skepticism. When Kaoru had emerged from the bathroom, Misao following her closely, and Yahiko spotted them as he was leaving their shared room.

"So, you two brats know each other," Sanosuke mumbled as he took a generous swig of his own drink before wiping the foam that lingered around his mouth. Misao opened her mouth s she was about to answer but snapped her jaw shut as Yahiko gave her a sharp kick under the table.

"Quite well," Yahiko anewered simply as he slid his non alcoholic beverage to the side as he glowered at Sanosuke.

"So... _Yahiko_ was the friend you were looking for?" Kaoru enquired carefully as she forced a gentle smile onto her lips, referring back to the moment in the steamy shower and their tentative conversation. Yahiko's head jerked to stare at Misao, who gave him an indifferent shrug, leaning forward on the table as she cradled her head in her hands and considered Kaoru and Sanosuke's baffled looks.

"That's it," She answered easily. "I had a feeling that he had come up here: all his heavier clothing was missing and he left his sandals behind. Big clue: boots are definitely Northern wear." Her blue-green eyes were bright and seemed to glimmer with a dangerous sort of craftiness that Kaoru found disarming as she took another quick sip of the drink.

"And he was summoned here because—"

"—Ro sent for Yahiko immediately after the fires in Tereré," Kaoru finished Sanosuke's statement as she looked over at Yahiko, who had slid lower into the booth as he furrowed his heavy brow. "She eventually told me that she had written him while I was recovering and had asked that he make his way North."

"She _did_ ," Yahiko confirmed. "Although I'm not sure if it was for the same purpose she had in mind when she sent the telegram, she did ask me to come up here. I think she was trying to play as many cards as she could while things were still out of control." Yahiko tilted his head tiredly at Kaoru and Sanosuke, both who seemed to be trying to rack through understanding Ro's either brilliant foresight or desperation to line up as many resources as possible in a narrow window of time.

"I followed you because I was worried," Misao interjected. "You just disappeared without any warning! It made me worry. Do you have _any_ idea what it's like to come to see that your hut looked like it had been pulled apart by soldiers? I thought they had come for you."

"You disappear _all_ the damned time, Misao! But I don't go chasing after you and your own business," Yahiko protested as he shot the younger woman a heated glower. "You should have just stayed put in the South—it's too dangerous for you to be traveling alone. Especially now."

"I'm not doing anything dangerous like you are!" Misao countered defensively as her tone took on a biting hint to it as she narrowed her eyes. "With the way the world is going, you could have easily have had problems if they caught you!" Kaoru and Sanosuke grimaced at those very words, knowing that they were not excluded from their harshness, and they cowered a bit closer together as the two younger individuals sitting across from them seemed to be on the edge of escalating their bickering to a full out fight.

"You should have stayed back and watched over the village," Yahiko said hotly. "There's no one there and with the vizinhos getting out of control, there ain't a chance in hell that the villagers will be able to fend for themselves! Damn it, Misao, we couldn't be in a worse position!" His dark eyes were unforgiving as the realization dawned on Misao, she herself not having thought that the now defenceless and isolated village could run into dangerous situations without Yahiko or Misao to beat back the vizinhos.

"I think the bigger issue," Kaoru interrupted carefully, treading around the two riled up people before her, "Is what are you going to do now? You've already found Yahiko, who has agreed to help us get something back. If your village is defenceless, you should return—"

"— _I agree_ ," Yahiko broke in rudely. "You came all this way for nothing, Misao."

"What these two are about to do is already risky enough and if you get caught up in it, you'll have a lot of fucking problems on your hands besides trying to justify wasting your time coming up this way," Sanosuke added. "I feel sorta bad that you wasted all this time to come up here and everything, but Yahiko and Kaoru are in this together." His arms were crossed over his chest as he straightened his shoulders.

"I could be of help to you," Misao replied. "I don't have anywhere better to be!"

"I disagree," Kaoru said firmly as she folded her hands on the table, her own eyes flashing in the low light of the grimy pub as she nodded her head towards Misao tiredly. "Your village needs you: my—no, our—" as she looked over at Sanosuke,"—village was destroyed because we let our guard down. Very little remains and we could do very little by the time the fires were burning." Misao paused as she inhaled slightly, catching the cautious look plastered on Kaoru's tired face as the other woman spoke haltingly.

"I understand and appreciate your offer," Kaoru continued slowly. "However, there is a part of me that would feel guilty if anything were to happen to you or to your village. Yahiko is right: your village, despite however peaceful it may be, still needs to be protected. If Yahiko cannot be there, you must." The four at the table fell into an uncomfortable silence as they mulled over Kaoru's plea for Misao to listen to her words carefully and to consider her reasoning. The younger of the two women knew that there was an outstanding obligation to defend those who could barely defend themselves yet Misao could not muster the justification to turn around and head back down South just yet.

"I, too, understand your point of view, although I don't like it," Misao spoke as she broke the silence, resting a palm over her heart. "However, there is something else that I feel that I need to be doing at this moment. The village is important, yes, but there's something much more urgent that I need to take care of before I can safely return to Chotororo."

"Oh?" Sanosuke's singular word was challenging. Yahiko coughed as he scooted away from Misao, perched on the edge of the shaky booth constructed of worn wood that had seen its years. "What could that be?"

"I know there are things happening in the West that have made their way here and, to some extent, the South," Misao began to explain as she used her free hand to draw a crude map with her fingertips on the tabletop. "There are movements of vizinhos that have never strayed beyond their known territories, there are more attacks, and there are more and more troops from Central gathering in certain points of the country. Enishi is trying to lay a trap for something that he obviously sees as a threat.

"I have a pretty damned good reason to believe that this is having consequential repercussions on the other side because the activity is growing more and more aggressive and Central only gets this riled up when it has to do with something that they know they cannot simply just cut down," Misao continued as her fingers ceased drawing the map as she dropped her hand into her lap. "This is mere speculation and listening to people talk on the train ride up here, but there's be enough of a fuss to stir things up to a point that we may not be able to return from. People are nervous, people are starting to feel cornered and corralled in by Central's actions, which all stem from either fear, paranoia, or the urge to dispose of something before it grows too out of control."

"How do you know all of this?" Kaoru managed to ask in a deathly quiet whisper, unsure as if she could trust the girl sitting before her or not. Misao's words were ambiguous enough that they could have been stitched together by mere intuition or she was truly hinting at something else to test the trio. Kaoru felt her mind send up a red flag to be careful as to what was being spoken in the presence of this stranger, despite being a friend of an ally, given that she seemed to know more than she was willing to let on or was apt at playing mind-games in her attempts to secure much needed information.

"I don't necessary know all of this with verifiable facts, but observations are sometimes acceptable instead of cold hard information," Misao muttered as she looked down at her hands resting on her lap. "However, whatever is happening is obviously a reaction from something that has happened on our plain. Recorded history, at least what Central lets us know, has never documented anything like this. People speak and those old enough to remember times before Central's control speak of never having seen anything like this. It's a fair assumption to make and to later confirm."

"You're hiding something," Sanosuke said bluntly as he slammed his tumbler onto the table and gave Misao a pointed look. "No one just 'observes' this sort of thing. You have to know exactly what you're looking for—especially with the vizinhos. You don't just know what types live wear by merely listening to stories: you have to be taught that sort of information or you're exposed to them enough that you see them. Accordin' to Yahiko, your village doesn't get too much activity."

" _Sano_!" Kaoru hissed as the older patroller leaned over the table, sliding it into Yahiko and Misao as he rested his strong arms on the tired wooden surface.

"He's right, Ugly, Misao does know a lot," Yahiko spoke. "However, she's not someone who will turn on you. If anything, she's probably more loyal than most people. Annoying, but loyal when it counts." The young man crossed his eyes as he made a sound of annoyance in his voice as he blinked repeatedly, trying to dispel the grumbling of Sanosuke and Misao's foot bouncing nervously against the wooden floor.

"If it weren't for the village, I'd say that it would be good to bring her with us," Yahiko continued as he rolled his left shoulder. "But we can't leave things as they are: it's too dangerous."

"Well, Kaoru told me that you were off to look for someone in Central," Misao brought up in a hushed tone to avoid attracting even more attention as eyes slid in their general direction. "I can at least accompany you guys through Central's station and then continue back South—the more dangerous routes are the ones that lead into Central because the soldiers are fussy and don't hesitate to pick a fight."

"Well…" Kaoru trailed off as she glanced over at Sanosuke. "I don't think we can tell you too much about what we're doing in Central, but if you're heading the same way, I don't think there's too much harm in you tagging along with us; especially if you are continuing further South than us. I don't have an issue with it." Misao bobbed her head in genuine enthusiasm, surprised at how easy it had been to win over Kaoru's blessing to at least partake in part of the journey.

"I will not tell you the details of our business, but if the routes on the train are as difficult as you say they are, it's probably for the better," Kaoru continued as she reached over and rested her hand on Sanosuke's bicep. "There's safety in numbers for certain things—we as patrollers should know that more than anyone."

"Patrollers?" Misao repeated as she blinked owlishly at Sanosuke and Kaoru. She had little doubt that the rooster haired man was a patroller, his physique screamed it, yet she was taken aback at the thought of the smaller Kaoru participating in the same rigorous activities. Kaoru was not as sturdily built as the taller male yet Misao could catch small callouses on her hands, scarring from having wielded some sort of weapon.

"They were both patrollers in the Northern division," Yahiko muttered quietly. "Employment up there is not the same as where we come from." Misao nodded hesitantly as Kaoru smiled at her uneasily.

"I don't see any problem with Misao coming with us to Central and then we part ways," Yahiko relented as he relaxed his body and slumped into the booth, his dark eyes catching the flickering candle light. "I took the long route around to avoid Central, but if it's as bad as they say it is, having an extra pair of hands might be alright. I say it's okay."

"Sano?" Kaoru looked over at her brotherly figure who seemed conflicted at the divergence from an already precarious plan. He ran a large hand through his hair, muttering a quiet 'fine' under his breath as he reached for his tumbler and took another large sip of his boozy drink. He was unsure as to how Ro and Megumi would react to Misao's temporary addition to the pair that were to venture into Central, but he could already hear Megumi shrieking at him for allowing a stranger, at least to them, to join Kaoru and Yahiko.

"Our train leaves tomorrow, so…" Kaoru's voice faded into the noise of the pub as Sanosuke closed his eyes and grunted in slight frustration, he himself unsure as to the merits of adding another young person who had yet to prove themselves before him and Kaoru. He had wagered on Yahiko because Ro had asked him to have a bit more faith, but he was hesitant with regards to the younger girl whose face had exploded into a smile as she and Kaoru chatted amongst themselves.

 _Damn._

* * *

Ro tilted her head back as she stared up at the gray sky, her pickaxe slung over her shoulder as she ceased her rounds of the perimeter of the village. Since the patrollers had been disbanded temporarily under the government was able to regain control of the situation, she and a few others had volunteered to make rounds around the village to ensure that no vizinhos strayed too closely to the civilian population. She had only had to knock out one and exterminate another that had, had the tell-tale signs of blood stains ringing what looked to be a second mouth, and she felt her muscles ache at the thought of another complete lap around Tereré.

Her house was once again empty, save for Megumi who made sure to check up on the blonde out of friendly obligation and also her own sense of loneliness, and she felt uneasy turning herself in for the evening. While she maintained good relationships with many individuals in the village, Kaoru had been one of her closest friends and an almost younger sister to the Southerner who seemed absent-minded as she lobbed her axe through the air in a perfect arc. She knew that Sanosuke would arrive the following day, opting to spend another evening in Nantia to rest before setting off towards Tereré, and the anxiety was eating at her like acid ate at delicate flesh.

Her mind was filled with trying to understand what was happening around them as she dug the head of the axe into the ground and leaned against the oversized weapon. Her blue eyes were dull as they reflected an entire layer of exhaustion that she had not felt in many years and she, for the first time, remembered what it was truly like to feel alone. When she and Kaoru had begun to train together she felt as though the world had been lifted from her shoulders as they moved through the 'kata' together or they sparred together amongst their male comrades. She had felt happier than she had in many moons, the death of her husband darkening her world significantly, and she felt a longing for human company.

Sooner than she realized, Kaoru had become an integral part of her life as they worked through their profession together—they navigated the difficulties of being a woman in the brave North, they swung their weapons together, and they shared stories, feelings, and emotions together. Despite Kaoru's warming towards her, Ro had always been able to feel a great sadness from the younger woman, and it had only begun to disappear when Kenshin had stumbled into the picture. The redhead had kindled a light in Kaoru that Ro was convinced had been permanently snuffed as they grew closer and closer. Under Sanosuke and Ro's watchful eye, the two had flourished as two seemingly lost existences crossed paths and created something wonderful in a world that seemed to be created just for them.

What she had seen in Kaoru's face was what she imagined her face was when she was younger and freshly in love: her husband was the adventurous type, a Northerner who traveled the plains in search of many things. He was enchanted by Ro's telling of Southern mythology and of the closeness to the vizinhos, she was enamoured with his genuine enthusiasm with the world around them as he guided her through the mysterious things that seemed just slightly out of reach. There was a wonder to the world that her husband could only see and she found his love of the world infectious and her own eyes opened to things that existed beneath her own nose. Wide-eyed and smiling, allowing someone to permeate the rough barrier she had erected around her heart: she found that she wanted Kaoru to have that same feeling and to chase after it because it had been yanked away from her too quickly.

She blinked as she caught glimpse of snowflakes that fluttered towards the ground, their white purity almost insulting to a habitant of a world so tainted by corruption and misfortune. She did not lower her face from the sky, opting to let the snowflakes cling to her and her golden mane, but she closed her eyes as she inhaled the frigid cold air of the Northern winter, trying to re-centre her body as she found her mind wandering to Kaoru and Yahiko.

 _Stay safe._

* * *

Kenshin was silent as he felt the water lap against his naked feet, the warmth of the water comforting after the lengthy conversation he had, had with Pops. The older man had retreated into the house, abandoning the dishes on the table, saying that he wanted to lie down for a while after such a long conversation and Kenshin did not say anything as the old man vanished inside the modest home and settled onto the mat on the floor. Pops' snores were signal enough to Kenshin that he would be left to his own devices for a while and sighed quietly as he began to move quietly through Pops' home.

The red head had cleared the table, washing the dishes and replacing them in their designated spots, seeming content to busy himself with a mechanical task that required little thought. His mind was drifting to what Pops had revealed to him with regards to the people who had separated him from his family. The story had been chilling and had sat poorly with Kenshin who was rendered speechless as the old man related the occurrences of that day to the amnesiac without giving too many details.

 _It was very cold and it was snowing, which makes it easier to get rid of whatever they want to get rid of,_ Pops had said gruffly, referring to the lack of a trail and how easily one could lose themselves in the landscape as the snow erased their path. I _was lied to and was tricked into allowing them to isolate me—one of them had tried to cut my throat but they missed the jugular because of a miscalculated angle._ Pops had tilted his head up to reveal a neat scar that had indeed missed the most delicate portion of his neck. Kenshin had not noticed the sliver of a scar in his daily interactions with Pops and he found his gaze fixated on it with deep preoccupation as the older man continued to tell him the fragmented story.

 _I was left to die in the forest, perhaps a vizinho would have been more merciful than the cold,_ He said with a raspy chuckle. _I then remember darkness… before I woke up here. I'd never seen or felt the warmth of the sun and it was the first thing that brought me back to life in a way._

 _You said you were separated from your daughter,_ Kenshin said tentatively.

 _I'm sure that they told her I was dead, as they tend to do, and they have taken advantage of that from an administrative angle given that once the head of household has perished, the government can seize whatever is left in possession of the family,_ Pops said cooly. _I've never been able to contact her—but I hope that she's doing well. Life where we came from was never easy and she would be in her early twenties now. I'm hoping that fortune has been gracious to her, at least, and that she is safe._

 _You miss her_ , Kenshin said softly.

 _Of course, my boy, she's my flesh and blood,_ Pops replied with a half smile. _There are many things that I was unable to give her, but I tried my best to make sure that she had a happy childhood. Every parent wants to give their child the moon and the stars, but time and circumstances sometimes prohibit that. I've long since accepted that she perhaps has moved on. Or not. With how the other side is, it's hard to say. I try not to think about it._

 _Why don't you try to find her?_ Kenshin's question was innocent.

 _I can't cross over,_ Pops replied simply. The conversation ended there as Kenshin bowed his head and tried to rack his hazy brain for any sort of idea that could help the kindly old man who had done nothing but act as an amicable custodian as Kenshin tried to dredge up his memories. There was something about the old man that was unsettling to the red head, yet he was unable to dissect the sensation that was left in the pit of his stomach at the thought of the kindly old man that busied himself with caring for the intermediate plain. Kenshin knew that Pops guarded his words and was cautious with the information he permitted Kenshin to have: on the other hand, he also knew that the old man had his own objectives, benign as they were, and that he stuck to his own agenda with a fairly strict air about him.

"To lose your daughter," Kenshin murmured under his voice as he sunk down onto his haunches and peered into the seemingly smug water that bubbled in the small spring. His own reflection stared back at him with a muted gaze that seemed to hold its own reservations. His hair was longer, curling down his back, and his complexion was much healthier compared to a few days prior. The prominent scar on his cheek was still the most defining feature and he reached up and traced his fingers over it, the pads of his index finger and middle finger lingering momentarily over the marred skin.

"To lose one's memories," He said to himself as he let his hand drop. Fleetingly, an image of Miss. Kamiya darted through his mind and he froze, the azure of her stare captivating him momentarily before she vanished from his mind's eye. There was another enigma that taunted him day in and day out: the images of Miss. Kamiya and her unwillingness to provide information mirrored Pops' behaviour as well. He noticed that she had the same sad curl to her lips, that same look to her face that hinted that she knew more than she was willing to let him know and it pained her for reasons beyond his comprehension.

Leaning forward so that he peered further into the water, he sighed as he moved his hands and submerged them into the warm water, the small waves lapping and curling around his hands playfully as though trying to lift his sunken spirits. The presence in the water was comforting, something that seemed familiar yet very distant, and it provoked a slight frown as he contemplated where he knew such a sensation from. It was though the water crooned at him and tried to tell him things in a bizarre tongue that he could not comprehend. He felt the water tug at him, encouraging him to try and listen but Kenshin felt a well of frustration rising in his chest as he shook his head and apologized quietly.

"Miss. Kamiya," Kenshin said to himself in a harsh voice as he felt his throat tighten at the last image of the blue eyed woman that peered at him with eyes that spoke volumes yet held many secrets. Secrets that he knew he would be unable to comprehend because her actions were deliberate and designed to protect him from himself and the other side. Knowing that she was living in the parallel world, a world rampant with danger that even made Pops hesitant to speak about it, was a sore wound on an already fragile existence as he tilted his head up and blinked slowly. The kindness she exhibited and the strained voice and looks of sympathy confused an already baffled soul that wanted nothing more than to demand answers that she was unwilling to indulge him in at the moment.

She was the warden of his own memories, imprisoning him and holding him hostage against a delicate constitution that flickered in his mind's eye. Looking down at the arm, a mere sliver of a scar remaining from where his skin had been seared by his own magic, Kenshin's eyes softened as he studied the shape with mild interest. The very thing that resided within his small body and had caused such an uproar and scar was what he knew drew a very decisive line between understanding himself and the world's understanding of him. The scar was thin yet jagged as he let the water lap at the deformed skin as he lost himself within his own thoughts, images of Miss. Kamiya perforating beyond the haziness of his mind—a singular clear image that shone like a beacon of light in a sea of darkness.

* * *

Kaoru tightened her cloak around her thinning frame as she stared out the filthy window caked with many years and layers of grime. Her blue eyes were somber as she inhaled deeply, her hands smoothing the cloth as she felt her heart begin to beat nervously, her own mind racing as she heard Sanosuke and Yahiko stumbling around outside the door.

She had slept poorly the night before, her mind plagued with bizarre images and strange urges that forced her eyes open to only see a wooden ceiling and hear Sanosuke's rumbling snoring. She had rolled over various times, changed positions, stuffed a pillow over her face, and covered her ears but had been unable to sleep well enough to consider herself in top condition. She flexed her wrist and wiggled her fingers in the crisp morning air as she finished dressing and meandered over to her sparse belongings and closed the sack, the cool metal of the firearm pressed against the small of her back as she took Sanosuke's advice to have it on hand always.

Stepping out of the room as she closed the door quietly behind her, she found herself staring at Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Misao in the hallway as they grouped together against the opposite wall. They were oddly silent but Kaoru knew that the occasion merited such odd behaviour as she gave them a tired nod of acknowledgement before saying, "Shall we?"

The walk to the station was quiet and the short distance seemed to grow more and more as Kaoru felt her sack grow heavier and her entire body went on-guard. Sanosuke was walking to her immediately left and Yahiko and Misao trailed behind her by a few comfortable meters as they stared at the backs of the two older adults.

The station was already bustling with light activity as passengers gathered on the platform amongst trunks, sacks, and boxes that were all destined for Central. Kaoru spotted a few military officials lingering to the side, watching over the movement on the platform with bored expressions as they chatted amongst themselves. The station was old and worn down, chunks of cement missing from the platform and weeds growing up from the tracks yet there was something invigorating about it that piqued Kaoru's interest as she took in the sight with her own eyes. She had heard Megumi and Sanosuke complain about the trains and the station and its constant state of disrepair but seeing it for herself was a completely different sensation that she had never imagined she would experience.

"The train should be here in a few minutes," Sanosuke muttered as he gave Kaoru a sideways glance.

"I know," She said stoically.

"You sure you want to do this?" The older patroller enquired seriously as his dark eyes narrowed at his younger counterpart. "I'm sure we can find another solution—"

"—I'm sure," Kaoru cut him off sharply as her tone stiffened. Her eyes were distant as she met his dark stare with her azure one and gave him a faint smile that feigned confidence. "I'm not going to be alone… so it's okay." Yahiko and Misao exchanged a neutral glance with each other behind Sanosuke as they were reminded that they were going to be invaluable support for the woman who had never left her rural and rugged village.

"It'll be okay," Kaoru repeated as she clenched at the strap of her sack. Sanosuke was silent as he took in the image of the woman that stood next to him. The woman who had hacked away her mane of hair and who straightened her back as she decided to face Central in the pursuit of answers and information: Kaoru had changed as he realized that her lips were raw from the nervous biting, her hands were paling as her grip tightened on her sack, and her eyes were intense and focused as she was trying to project the image of composure to those who cast their eyes on her.

Sanosuke had watched Kaoru in her later years, seeing how her moods shifted depending on the circumstances that she lived: he had watched her evolve from a woman being harassed for partaking in a male-dominant field and becoming one of the top juvenile patrollers that garnered massive respect from those who once belittled her. He had watched how she could wield her weapon and also dance elegantly, her spirit seemingly to flit about erratically as she spun her way out of striking distance or as a step to the Northern dance that she joyously jigged her way through with Ro or Megumi. He had watched how she let down her guard around Kenshin and how she opened herself a bit more to him, something that he had thought nearly impossible outside a small circle of intimate friends united by the unfortunate iron grip Central had on their lives. In another life, Sanosuke reckoned, he was unsure if they would have ever crossed paths.

"It will be," He finally said in agreement. "Two weeks, Missy."

"I know," She said as her lips thinned into a line as she whirled her gaze to the left to see the ancient train pulling up to the station, smoke billowing from its mighty stack as the old machine creaked and groaned over the rails.

"It's time to go, Kaoru," Misao said impatiently as she crossed her arms and shot the rooster haired man a heated look. "The train fills up pretty quickly, you know?" Kaoru looked over at the younger woman who flashed her a wide smile as she flicked her braid from her shoulder before she looked back at the man she considered her older brother.

"Sano, thanks for everything," She said quietly as she turned to face him fully as she inclined her head at him in a gesture of utmost respect. "Not just for this—but for everything that you've done for me—"

"—This isn't forever, you know," Sanosuke said gruffly as he reached down and rested his massive hands on her narrow shoulders. "You're coming back in two weeks, Missy. Save this for when we're really at death's door." Kaoru's eyes glimmered at his attempt of humour, one of the few survival devices that often fell back on in the harshest of winter nights, as she wrapped her arms around his waist and embraced the older patroller, opting to stay quiet as he returned her deep embrace in a rare fraternal display of affection that he was not know for showing.

"Kaoru," Yahiko's voice hinted at his own youthful impatience as people started to board the train, conductors shouting and blowing whistles to organize queues so that the process was somewhat less chaotic. "We gotta go."

Kaoru released Sanosuke from her embrace as she smiled at him faintly again and took a few steps back, before pivoting around and moving towards Yahiko and Misao who had already taken up their place in the line. As she drew up to them, she could feel Sanosuke's presence melting away as he vanished into the crowd, hanging back as he ensured that they boarded the train safely before beginning the arduous walk back to Tereré.

"Tickets?" The conductor asked irritably as Yahiko flashed the three tickets, giving the conductor enough time to confirm that they had the right to board the mighty train that would deliver to them to the crux of evil and greed that slowly dismantled their respective lands. He waved them aboard, Misao being the first to sling herself up into the interior of the wagon followed by Kaoru and Yahiko.

"This ain't too bad," Yahiko said as they arrived to their reserved seats, old wooden benches that looked like they would be agonizing for the next hours of their journey. Misao stepped around Yahiko as she claimed the window seat for herself, stretching her legs out and resting her feet on the bench in front of her. She patted the space next to her, inviting Kaoru to take up the seat next to her, to which the older woman relented as she settled onto the hard surface, dropping her sack at her feet.

"How long is it to Central?"

"Hard to say, depends on the conditions of the tracks and if the train doesn't break down," Misao replied around a wide yawn as she sunk lower onto the bench. "We could be there by night though if we're lucky." Kaoru nodded, seemingly satisfied with Misao's answer as she looked over at Yahiko, whose face was formed into an angry scowl as he eyed the other passengers boarding the carriage. She knew that he had made the already long journey from the South by train and Ro had mentioned that he was not a massive fan of the train because it made him feel exposed and defenceless.

"Well, nothing we can do for now," Misao said as she yawned once again. "I'm gonna to have a nap—I'm still tired from yesterday. You, Kaoru?"

"I didn't sleep very well," Kaoru admitted carefully.

"That's three of us," Yahiko grumbled. "Sanosuke's snoring could raise the dead." Misao looked as though she wanted to say something but decided to keep her mouth shut as she sighed before closing her eyes, angling herself away from the other two as she rested her forehead against the glass of the window.

"Are you going to rest, too?" Kaoru asked quietly as she looked at Yahiko.

"Naw, I'll stay awake, people tend to steal things on the trains if you're not paying attention," Yahiko replied simply. "Bastards." Kaoru frowned at his words, having been unaware that people would prey on unsuspecting passengers as she went to move her sack a bit closer to her as she looped the strap around her leg.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to see if I can sleep a bit," She said, to which he snorted but nodded.

"You need it, Ugly."

* * *

A/N: Hi, hi! It's been a month or so, but work and life tend to get in the way. :) It felt good to take up the keyboard once again and finish this chapter.


	24. Chapter 24

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XXIIII

Rough Rail

"May your journey overflow with challenging fate and facing death."

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

 _"Gamble on your existence,_

 _One round chance,_

 _Are you blessed to live_

 _Or doomed to perish?"_

* * *

"Sir, we have an urgent cable from our delegation in Turino," one of Enishi's assistants said as he saluted the leader, who was sitting at his desk pouring over topography maps of the Western lands. Enishi looked up sharply at the pudgy assistant who stood attentively before him.

" _Well_?" He drawled dryly, dipping his pen into an ink well with an almost feline grace to his movement.

"We have reports that a civilian train destined for Central has been attacked and derailed by a rogue vizinho that is not indigenous to the Northern Central plains," The assistant explained as he bowed his head and extended his hands towards his superior. Enishi glanced down at the scrap of paper that had been ripped from the machine and plucked it out of his underling's hands. His eyes roved over the slip of paper as he took in the information, calmly processing it as he re-read it to ensure that he understood the details.

"Are there any confirmed government officials aboard?"

"Just a few lower ranking military police officers," His assistant replied. Enishi tutted in his throat as he drew his pen over the maps, circling a particular quadrant.

"Can they confirm the size of the vizinho?"

"S-sir?" His assistant stammered.

"It must be quite the creature to be able to attack and derail a train, logically speaking, it is important to know the size of the blasted thing," Enishi said calmly as he folded the paper and tucked it away in his breast pocket. "Put in an official communication to the delegation that has jurisdiction over that area and send out the patrollers to neutralize and then destroy it. Ensure that the news does not make it to Central. We don't need any panic."

"Understood," The assistance replied as he raised his hand and saluted Enishi once more. "Sir, there's also another message that was issued from our Eastern delegation. It was sent two days ago but it was received today due to internal problems with the communications lines."

"Regarding the search for the Vestige?"

"They have conducted several interrogations of local civilians and they refuse to speak on the issue, Sir," The assistant reported as he straightened his back. "They are citing that they either do not wish to speak on the issue or do not have sufficient knowledge on the whereabouts of the Vestige and that the lore surrounding his existence has died out except for a few elder members of the costal villages. Said elders were unable to provide concrete details or their memories and recollections have been skewed by their old age." Enishi's gaze hardened as he looked down at the map that was spread before him, picking out a few of the mere pinprick sized villages on the expansive territory of the Eastern lands. "There has been very little conclusive evidence."

"And the interrogators were incapable of obtaining the mere minimum of information? Even a hint?"

"That is correct, Sir," His assistant replied.

"Pity," Enishi said quietly as he bridged his fingers together, intertwining them as he sighed and leaned back in his chair, bouncing his hands in the air in an almost absent-minded way that depicted a much more human side to his normally cruel persona. "Ensure that the rations to the village are reduced by sixty percent and block any outgoing shipments of textiles and building supplies for the time being. Make sure that they know this is punishment for the lack of cooperation. Those who do not wish to speak can be coerced by other means."

"Sir?"

"These are trying times as we attempt to advance our agenda in this era," Enishi said dismissively as he refused to look at his assistant and found himself captivated by the richly adorned crown moulding that decorated his office. "If they wish to turn their back on the good of advancing our nation, they must understand that there are consequences. Not every elder is stricken by a faltering memory. Loyalty can be noble but it can also be the hand that signs your death."

"Sir, in the last reports, they identified that the East was _already_ suffering from severe food shortages and their death count was the highest it has been in years," His assistant rambled on as he tried to avoid wringing his hands together nervously. "With all due respect, the East has been the strongest ally throughout the years and the cardinal civilization with the least amount internal conflict. Isn't this decision rushed?"

"When you are bitten by a snake, you must stop the venom from spreading," Enishi said thoughtfully as he lowered his gaze to eye his assistant. "You have two options: to try to extract the venom by unconventional means and also run the risk of ingesting poison, accelerating the spread of venom and signing your own death—or you cut off access to the rest of your body and risk losing a limb to preserve your head.

"The East's historical relations with us work in our favour as they realize that they are not exempt from just punishment for the lack of cooperation in what is going to be our biggest call for collaboration from our Eastern kin," Enishi continued as his assistant nodded hesitantly. "Anyone or anything that opposes our desire to evolve as a species is a natural enemy that must be handled appropriately."

"Understood," His assistant said carefully, still unsure if his leader's logic was as crystal clear as Enishi saw it.

"Make sure that the situation with the train does not reach public ear—at least too quickly," Enishi repeated as he waved his hand, dismissing his assistant from his presence. "Report back when we have a better idea of the situations. Strict order: kill and bring the vizinho for analysis here. If it's not indigenous to the region, perhaps it's an unrecognized species. Contact Gensai in Tereré if required: he's quite the expert."

"Of course, Sir."

"As for the East, the order still stands," Enishi reminded him. "We will smoke him out by any means necessary." He folded his hands together as he rose to his feet and stepped towards the window that looked out over the waterways of canals that criss-crossed the city. He spotted the botanical gardens in the distance and narrowed his gaze, glowering past the lush greenery and into the darkening sky that promised a mighty storm.

* * *

Kaoru was abruptly jolted awake as the train dangerously listed to one side and a massive boom brought her back to the waking world in an instant as her body went alert. Her eyes flew fully open at the instance that Misao went flying and hit the aisle hard, limbs flailing about with the grace of a frog as she landed on her back. Yahiko's eyes were wide—also caught off guard as he nearly slid off the bench and managed to regain his balance before toppling on top of Misao.

"What was that?!" A passenger shouted as the train managed to be rebalanced and slammed against the poorly maintained rails heavily, the carriage groaning in protest at such abuse on its worn frame. Passengers had been horribly flung about, scattered throughout the carriage, and a few windows had been cracked and shattered on the trio's side of the wagon. Kaoru's eyes took in the damage as she tried to comprehend what had caused the train to stagger in such a way as Yahiko hauled Misao back to her feet, the younger woman looking stunned from having been woken from her deep sleep.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Misao growled as her head spun around as she tried to get a read on the environment. Kaoru grit her teeth as she looked over at Yahiko, who was also trying to pick up on any oddities in their immediate area, and she tightened her hands into balled fists as she tried to calm her nerves.

"That's never happened before," Yahiko muttered as he reached up and touched his forehead, noticing that there was a slight swelling that he knew would turn into a sizeable bump that he would be sporting for the next few days. The rest of the passengers were muttering amongst themselves as they, too, tried to comprehend what had happened and their uneasy whispers rivalled the sound of the train that was still chugging ahead slowly. Kaoru felt her stomach lurch at the odd movement of the wagon as she felt Misao inch closer to her, uncertainty plastered on her young face.

" _Look_!" A passenger who had dared to stick his head through the window on the opposite side of the carriage was pointing towards the car that was placed immediately in front of them and a few other souls including Kaoru joined him at the window. Her breath escaped in a ragged gasp as she saw a massive black shape running alongside and keeping pace with the train, red beady eyes focused on the next carriage as its long stride covered the crowd in long greedy movements.

"A vizinho," Another passenger said in a panicked mood as he pushed away from the window.

"It's huge!" An elderly man managed to sputter as he pushed away from the window and fell back onto the bench. "It's massive!"

"I've never seen one like that," A female passenger said as she pulled her child closer to her, wrapping her arms protectively around the small frame of the little girl that wouldn't stop crying. Yahiko, Kaoru, and Misao exchanged nervous looks amongst themselves, recognizing that even they had not seen something of comparable size in their respective regions. Kaoru's mind was racing as she tried to identify a similar species but she had never encountered one of those proportions.

The vizinho was canine in shape, resembling what looked to be a shaggy black dog with heated crimson eyes that lacked pupils. Its legs and shoulders were long, muscular, and lean—an obvious trait that allowed it to match the speed of the train—and the tail was a long and limp thing that had tufts of hair growing sporadically and sticking out at haphazard angles. The rich black clumps of fur were thick and rugged, hinting that it was protective in nature, and Kaoru knew that, that posed another set of challenges to access the delicate skin that she knew was lying beneath such pelt. At a distance, Kaoru was unsure as to how big it truly was, but she estimated that at its withers it could stand a comfortable four meters tall and weigh enough to destabilize the heavy train.

"It's weird looking," Misao said as a serious tone crept into her voice. "But I can't put my finger on it—there's something _really_ off."

" _What_?" Yahiko hissed as he looked over at the younger woman who was pressed to the glass, trying to absorb the details of the vizinho. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know!" Misao snapped as she gave him a fiery look. "But there's something weird about it!"

"She's right, but I don't know what it is either," Kaoru said quietly as she, too, tried to pinpoint what was off about the creature. She studied its stride, a typical one for quadrupedal beasts that were adapted to covering long distances efficiently. She quickly calculated that he was covering with each stride a rough meter or so of ground, the majority of the power being thrust from its back legs and the front legs propelling it forward to maintain the consistent momentum. She ripped herself away from the window as she pushed a passenger to the side in the attempts to see what damage had been done to their carriage.

"It looks like it slammed right into us," A young man pointed out, his head sticking out the window as his eyes narrowed at the damage he immediately saw. The carriage's windows had been broken in some parts but it was the sizeable dent in the metal body that Kaoru found preoccupying as testament to shoddy build quality. She knew that the beast's speed contributed greatly to its ability to throw its weight around and inflict damage and she did not doubt that it was aware that it could derail the train and cause havoc beyond words.

"It's going for the next carriage!" A woman shouted as the beast altered its stride, sliding closer to the train as they caught a last look of its flank as it slammed into the carriage in front of them. The shock of the carriage being hit rocked their own carriage and the passengers braced themselves or went flying once again as they felt their metal prison upset by the imbalance up ahead. Kaoru's face hit the window hard, much to her annoyance, and Yahiko was sprawled on the bench as he gripped it desperately.

"It's attacking us on purpose," Misao stated mutely as she felt the blood drain from her face. She had never heard of vizinhos attacking trains directly, the loud man-made noises often serving to deter them from getting too close. She gripped at her sack, her trusty knives tucked away within its confines, and she found herself wondering if they were riding in their own metal death trap as opposed to a modern means of transportation.

"But why?"

"This has never happened before," Another passenger muttered. "I've traveled this route hundreds of times…"

"Well, with what's happening in the West," A third voice chimed in. "Is anyone really surprised?"

"Yeah, but in the middle of nowhere?" Another passenger contested hotly as they sat up from being flung to the hard ground of the train. "And a train?"

"What can we do?"

"Evacuate?" A dangerous proposal as they knew that jumping to the tracks from the train was dangerous and the lingering threat of the unidentified vizinho outside added another layer of unwanted complexity. The murmurs within the carriage were dark and disheartened as they knew that, that was not at all feasible and they would be leaping from the pan into the fire. There were a few passengers that were watching the beast warily as it continued to keep pace with the carriage that it had just attacked and they were relating its movement to those who were too afraid to approach the windows.

Kaoru, Misao, and Yahiko were huddled together as they tried to piece together a rough idea of what was occurring and what would have provoked a beast into attacking a train. Yahiko's hands were resting on his knees as his dark eyes clouded over in a trance-like state, Misao's hands were still resting protectively on her sack, and Kaoru could feel the cool steel of Megumi's gift nudging at the small of her back beneath her cloak. It was almost teasing her, begging her to wrap her hands around its cool metal body and let it come forth and serve as the mighty tool it was.

"It's attacking for a specific purpose," Yahiko whispered gruffly as he loosened his grip on his knees. "There's… _something._ There has to be—it wouldn't make sense other wise. This is not pattern behaviour that we've seen in Southern species."

"Neither in the North," Kaoru said in quiet agreement.

"Could it be looking for something?" Misao's proposal attracted two puzzled stares and she shrugged. "Just a guess… but by the way it's hitting the carriages one by one… it's almost like it's trying to force us out of the wagons to see what's onboard, you know?"

"… It's smart, much more capable of higher level thought processes than anything I've seen," Kaoru finished in a low murmur. "And it's hitting in the same spot, too—it seems to be targeting the weakest structural part of the carriages where the weight distribution isn't as consistent… that's if I had to guess. I'm not one hundred percent certain."

"Right in the middle," Yahiko said as his brow furrowed.

"Who could it be looking for?" Kaoru asked as she gave the other two a baffled look, not drawing any immediate answer. Misao shook her head as she sighed and curled into her haunches. "Or… _why_ is it looking for someone?" She felt her lips press together in a thin line, racking her brain desperately for any scrap of recollection.

"Maybe we should do something about it instead of asking stupid questions that we aren't going to get answers to?" Yahiko's suggestion was voiced in a low tone as to not to alert the other passengers of their conversation. "Don't you patrollers have a moral obligation to protect human lives from vizinhos or something like that?" Kaoru was quiet as she stared at the younger male with a blank stare, not even giving a nod of acknowledgement, but she knew that he was partially right given that she was sworn to protect the state and its citizens from any attacks from the other world.

" _How_?"

"Since it's slamming into the train and trying to topple it over, we need to make sure it does not achieve that, duh," Yahiko explained quickly as he moved his hands back and forth to simulate the erratic rocking that they had felt when the carriage in front of them had been hit. "It's targeting the mid section of a carriage because it's structurally much weaker and, like you said, the weight distribution isn't as consistent."

"So you're saying it knows about trains?" Misao said with a dumbfounded expression.

"How am I supposed to know?" Yahiko bit out as he gave Misao a blistering look. "Anyway, if it keeps attacking the carriages, it will probably succeed at knocking one over—I'll bet Ugly's life on it. We need to prevent that or there's going to be a lot of problems if it manages to snag a passenger."

"How then?" Kaoru enquired as she felt the pistol pressing against her suggestively, almost tempting her to take the bait that she knew Yahiko was lying down for her to snatch up. Sanosuke had explained the finer points of using the weapon, forcing her to demonstrate that she knew how to reload when she spent all her bullets, how to aim, and how to handle the recoil appropriately. Although she had, had the rudimentary training and knew it was an effective tool, she was convinced that it was a properly stupid idea to do it within the confines of a train filled with civilians.

" _Oh,_ I get it," Misao said as her face lit up in recognition. "Just like when someone tries to knock you off balance, you correct it by moving your weight in the opposite direction you're being pushed. Counterbalancing."

"We get the passengers to gather on one side of the train then? As a counterweight?" Kaoru's brows arched as she ran through the logistics of the ragtag plan. There was no promise that the scheme would work, given that she was unsure as to how much the creature weighed and how much force it was applying against the carriages, but she was well aware that they had limited choices in their tight confines.

"As soon as it hits the train, you have the passengers move to the opposite side so that they can balance out the carriages, assuming that the carriages are not extremely damaged and it's timed correctly," Misao said as she crossed her arms and hummed in her throat. "It's a stupid idea, but it might just work. You get pushed, you shove back harder."

"And if we gather enough people in the right carriages, I can slip by and try and neutralize it," Kaoru summarized with a grimace as the plan came to fruition in her mind. The mechanics were simple enough but their execution seemed to linger on the other end of the spectrum. "So, if that's the case… we need to get people to get into position and wait for some sort of signal, right? So that it's all timed properly?"

"And if _that_ fails—" Yahiko began to speak as his expression darkened.

"—We have to stop the train," Kaoru finished in a quiet voice, another violent jolt shaking them to their cores as the train groaned painfully, fraying already tried nerves. "They have to have some sort of brakes—why haven't they used them?"

"No idea," Misao breathed. "But… if we're going to do this, we need to start rallying people now. That thing is going to hit us again and this train probably won't be able to take much more abuse. It looked old and rickety to begin with." Her blue eyes were wide as she watched Yahiko and Kaoru rise to their feet quickly, she herself following quickly and brushing the dirt from her cloak. "It also looks like we're being left to fend for ourselves."

"Now that you say it…it's _weird_ though—none of the train staff have interfered or given any instructions," Kaoru remarked as she adjusted her cloak tightly against her frame, narrowing her eyes. "You think that by now they would have said something?" Misao and Yahiko shrugged at her curious observation, they themselves noticing the absence of the staff as well but writing it off as them trying to control the situation from the front of the train. They had spotted at least a few conductors or railway staff bustling between the carriages during intermediary stops and yet it seems as though they vanished into the air upon scenting danger in the air.

"We shouldn't wait around though, it's going to strike again," Misao pointed out. "Yahiko, you and Kaoru make your way to the front of the train—let people know to gather on the right side and when they hear the signal, tell them to charge towards the left side. I'll follow behind you to make sure people go with it."

"What's the signal?"

"Whatever you want it to be—a single word command is usually enough," Yahiko said gruffly. "Maybe something like ' _go_ ' or _'jump_ ' is enough. Easy." His dark eyes were alert as he gestured for Kaoru to get ready to move, the patroller nodding vigorously as she slowly took in the measurements of the carriage with her eye. She estimated that the carriage was about two and a half meters wide, ten meters long, and three meters high on the inside. She could not pick up on how fast they were moving but she knew that they had to move a bit faster to be able to push their way to the front of the train.

"We're off, try to make sure the timings right or we're doomed," Kaoru said grimly to Misao, who had already started to bark out instructions to startled passengers who seemed bewildered by the young Southerner shouting at them to gather at the centre of the carriage. Yahiko had already made his way to the front of the carriage, yanking open the door and exposing them to the narrow metal slats that hooked the carriages together and provided a small place to balance out as he pulled the other door open quickly.

Kaoru felt the wind whip up and she grabbed the rickety metal ladder that was affixed to the wagon next to the door to give access to the sloped roof of the carriage to regain to her balance. She only released it when she was sure that the wind had died down enough to where she felt comfortable releasing her grip on the rusted ladder. They worked their way across the precarious structure, leaving the door open in their hast, and continued to move their way up towards the front. The swaying of the train tested their competent balance and they were breathless as they crested the threshold of the new carriage.

Shouting Misao's instructions as the passengers within the train whose heads all swivelled around to focus on the ruckus, Yahiko and Kaoru pushed their way through the carriage. They dashed by confused families, baffled merchants, wary travellers, and other faces that blurred together in their mad hurry towards the front of the train. Some passengers seemed dazed from being hit by the vizinhos, others seemed to be ready to take action to protect the train, and others seemed uncertain as the two strangers barrelled through the carriage, shouting instructions and watching as people scrambled to the other side of the carriage with confused looks but acting out of compliance.

Crossing into another carriage, Kaoru and Yahiko found wide eyes staring at them as they realized that this carriage had not been struck by the black mass and they both knew that it was probable that it was the next target. Gritting their teeth, Yahiko began to shout out instructions to the passengers who scrambled or froze to their seats, despite his warnings that this thing was dangerous and was probably on the prowl for someone. Kaoru watched as the passengers exchanged nervous looks amongst each other, unsure as if they were to invest confidence in these strangers' words, and she contemplated the merits of identifying herself as a Northern patroller.

" _Listen_ —I know it's not ideal, but you have to trust us," She spoke over the roar of the carriage as she kept one eye on the windows where she spotted the black vizinho closing in on them as it made pace with their wagon. "There's a fair chance we can make it out of this alive if we pool together and beat it—but you have to listen to what we're saying!"

"Why should we trust two kids?" An older man grumbled. "You ain't got any authority here."

"Because we're your only chance to survive," Kaoru found herself saying as a small splash of confidence slowly began to wash over her as she remembered watching how Sanosuke had taken to calming giving orders during the fire. "The train isn't built to take this sort of hit and we have to work with what we have."

"Kaoru, I'll handle things here," Yahiko said in a harsh voice as he looked over at her with dark eyes that had hardened as he focused intensely on the situation at hand. " _You_ have to stop it." Kaoru knew that without even having to say anything that he was referring to the fact that she was carrying an effective tool that could at least cause some major damage to slow the creature down to the point it was a minimized threat to the train and its passengers. She felt the cool metal pressing against her once again and she bit her lip, Yahiko's expectant look urging her to make a decision on what to do and quickly.

" _Kaoru!_ " He shouted, unimpressed that she was hesitating.

"I'm thinking," She responded heatedly as she glanced out the window and saw that the vizinho was closing in the last forty meters of distance it had left between itself and the train: it was obviously using the distance to build up speed and momentum to strike the carriage with enough force to topple the structure. If she miscalculated or missed her shot, it would have deadly consequences that would perhaps not afford her another chance to defend the train. She had also rarely worked solo, Ro being a more than capable partner, and attacking it alone made a lump hitch in her throat.

"Think _faster_!" Yahiko snapped as he started to shove people to one side of the carriage, barking orders at them to get ready to launch themselves to the other side on the designated signal. Kaoru tore her eyes from the vizinho as she studied the carriage and realized that there was another door that she could pass through to the adjoining carriage immediately in front of them and she was fairly certain that there would be another access ladder just as there had been on the other wagons.

"Yahiko, get the timing right, I'm going onto the roof to get a better look," Kaoru shouted as she made a quick break for the door, yanking it open to confirm her suspicion that there was another ladder. She caught glimpse of the Southern young fighter staring at her before he turned his attention back to the passengers, his mouth moving as he seemed to be measuring the distance that the beast covered and tried to desperately ascertain when would be the correct moment to have the passengers shift their collective weight to the other side.

Kaoru grunted as the wind whipped up again, nipping at her face, and she hauled herself up the ladder, mindful that her cloak dragged beneath her feet and that her upper body strength was severely lacking. Gritting her teeth fiercely, she breached the top of carriage and managed to get a better view of the vizinho that was loping beside the train, matching the speed of the metallic beast. Azure eyes scanned the immediate area, noting that it was open plain with the occasional tree dotting the landscape, the train tracks the only interruption to the cascading waves of fauna.

"It's fast," She muttered as she braced herself against the dingy metal roof of the train, aware that it was worn and looked feeble and as though it would crumble away at any moment. Her short hair brushed against her red cheeks as she reached under her cloak and slowly extricated the weapon from where she had tucked it into her pants and she narrowed her eyes as she started to count the inky looking beast's paces and to try and identify any sort of vulnerable point that would at least slow it down enough to let the train get away safely.

 _You have to use your eyes but you also have to use whatever else you have because if you fuck up, you're dead,_ Sanosuke's voice reminded her as her mind flashed to when she was doing field training with him and a few other trainees. _Know terrain, know anatomy, have an exit plan—you're only as good a patroller as your brain is at gettin' creative. This job isn't for everyone and there's a reason why not everyone comes back alive._

 _Look at how something moves._

 _Listen to its breathin'._

 _Watch where it gets its power from._

Kaoru lifted her head once more as she closed her eyes momentarily, her ears picking up on the rhythm of the vizinho's stride and she could hear with an almost alarming clarity its harassing breathing as its feet hit the ground with each pounding step. Her mind started to piece together a crude understanding of the creature without ever having confronted it before and as her eyes opened, she caught it mid-stride as its back legs lifted slightly and exposed the slightest hint of bare thigh.

" _There,_ " She whispered harshly as she winced against the unforgiving breeze before lifting Megumi's parting gift and trying to steady herself enough to ensure that her hit would be accurate. Sanosuke had taken her into the deep woods after being satisfied that she knew how to handle and reload the pistol, and had, had her shoot at crudely drawn targets on trees at various distances. She had problems, as her aim drifted significantly to the right, and she knew that if her bullet strayed when it mattered she had signed away the lives of many individuals.

" _Yahiko_!" Kaoru shouted over the howling wind as she cocked the pistol and put her finger on the trigger, willing herself to steady as she aimed slightly to the left and kept her eye fixated on the moving target that was drawing closer to the train, mere moments away from attempting another strike on the old train.

"What?" She imagined that he was looking through an open window in the attempts to spot her.

"Get ready to have everyone move, I'm going to aim for its back legs to at least try and slow it down," She instructed as she closed one eye, her right eye still intently focused on where she wanted her bullet to fly. "I don't know how it will react so do what you think you need to do!"

"Got it!" He shouted back, relieving Kaoru's nerves that he was probably lining up the people as he himself resumed counting the strides and calculating and recalculating everything on the spot. Despite his youth and his overall brattiness, Kaoru was heavily impressed with how he was handling the situation and she made mental note to thank him profusely when this horror of a situation had ended.

 _Remember, this thing is a powerful tool and can do great and horrible things,_ Megumi's voice reminded her as she remembered how the doctor pursed her lips together in disdain. _You have to be absolutely sure you're willing to use it—it's not like receiving a blow from your bokken. This will, more than likely, kill on impact._

"This is for the people who are counting on me," She muttered as she felt a momentary pang of guilt as Kenshin's gentle face and serene eyes danced across her mind, his non-violent and extreme opposition to death and senseless killing reminding her of what she was about to do. Kaoru shook her head as she refocused her aim and as the moment dawned on her, she watched as the left rear leg lifted and she pulled the trigger, shouting, _"Here it goes!"_

As though things happened in slow motion, the recoil from the pistol destabilized her already precarious balance and she felt herself falling backwards, her eyes still glued on the black canine as the bullet cut through the air with a significant whizzing noise. The impact of the bullet hit slightly above where she needed it to hit and she nearly yelped in joy as she watched the beast stagger in its stride, falling back as the juncture in its leg was hit, cutting down its ferocious momentum, confused and enraged as it howled out in pain, a dark green substance oozing from the bullet wound.

Kaoru felt her body flying backwards as she came to and desperately tried to recover her balance, her hand still gripping Megumi's pistol as she scrambled to break her own fall. Her back hit the metal roof heavily, the wind knocked out of her, and she winced as she heard her cloak tear beneath her. Lifting her head up quickly to assess the damage the vizinho had taken, she gasped when she realized that, despite slowing down significantly, it was still pursuing the train as it left a horrid trail of green blood like terror along the ground, its eyes even more ravenous and its mouth ringed with a foamy substance.

" _Shit_!" She hissed as she hauled herself up and tried to re-aim the pistol at the beast, knowing that a direct hit between the eyes could set it back further. The train below her was unsteady and wobbled dangerously from side to side and she found it difficult to aim. She shouted down to Yahiko, but there was no answer, and she cursed again as she contemplated how to try and disable the vizinho completely without jeopardizing the passengers' safety. Lowering the pistol momentarily, she opted to see if she could get closer to the edge of the carriage and see if closing some of the distance would make any significant difference. Kaoru dragged herself carefully over the rusting metal as she felt it sag beneath her, and she managed to inch her way along the length of the carriage, closing in on the beast that was still running along side the train.

" _Damn_ ," She grumbled as she felt the train shake angrily below her once more and she knew from where she was splayed out it would be a difficult hit to make. She quickly looked over her shoulder to ensure that there were no approaching tunnels before she trained her gaze back on the beast. Slowly pushing her legs out from beneath her, she carefully rose to her feet on unstable legs as she angled herself to try and break her fall on the carriage's roof as opposed to being flung over the side. It was risky and she could only imagine how Sanosuke and Megumi would admonish such an stupidly impulsive decision but she hefted the pistol up and held it in two hands as she aimed once again, the barrel of the gun staring heatedly between the eyes of the beast.

As her finger pulled the trigger once again, she felt her body brace against the recoil and the wind that whipped at her, the train's unstable movements forcing her steps and body into the opposite direction. The loud howl was neither confirmation or denial that the bullet hit its destined target and she was too distracted with the fact that a solid surface below her feet vanished as she went over the edge of the train, her mouth forming two syllables as she screamed out for the red head who would not be coming to her rescue, the pistol firmly wedged in her hands as her body arched in the air.

* * *

The feeling was akin to a bolt of electricity that stunned him and Kenshin felt himself sink to his knees as his body seized up. The basket of reeds and aquatic flora he had been carrying crashed to the ground, alerting Pops, as the old man burst into the main room where he found Kenshin breathing heavily, his body covered in a sheen layer of sweat, his eyes mere pinpricks as they flashed a molten gold, his muscles clenching together uncontrollably as they seized and locked up in tight bundles flickering between the delicate threads of control.

"What happened?" Pops asked frantically as he reached for water and a rag, soaking it before running it over the red head's exposed skin, passing the cool cloth over his cheeks and wiping away the sweat from his brow. The red head was still breathing ragged breathes that seemed to grow more and more aggravated as he could not even muster the strength to produce intelligible words. In his mind he could see a dark mass moving towards a strange machine, powerful legs pushing it through grassy plains and leaving behind heavy footfalls that echoed violently through his mind. The mass was relentless, pursuing the bizarre snake shaped metallic structure as it slammed its body into the

The voices in the forest seemed to have increased in volume and frequency, the nonsensical chattering that he had grown used to now shrieking and screaming in fury and agony. He could not pick out one discernible voice within the cacophony of shrieks and he felt his head begin to ache painfully as his mind raced, trying to understand and pick out the merest of details to grasp what was happening.

He could hear the water lapping angrily against the banks of the springs, seemingly trying to escape from their own watery confines as they wished to reach him. He could hear how the water was calling out to him, a chorus of nonsense words that he was unable to understand, and he felt his heart skip as it grew more insistent. Kenshin felt as though the water was trying to call his attention, desperate to tell him something and to communicate what it was feeling as it seemed to writhe around in agonizing pain, whipping itself into a frenzy to even Pops was muttering something that went over Kenshin's head.

"Listen, you need to breathe," Pops instructed sharply as he uprighted Kenshin so that his body was in an optimum position to be able to recuperate his breath comfortably. He supported the red head's weight against his frail body, feeling how his muscles tensed and clenched as he his body seemed to be far from the reaches of his control. Kenshin was still not vocalizing as he gasped and continued to inhale, sucking air greedily, his mind alive as it became acutely sensitive to everything in the surrounding area. It washed over him in violent waves as the hypersensitivity nearly paralyzed him and he choked out as he blinked heavily.

"Take it easy, that's it," Pops muttered as he racked his brain for what could possibly have possessed the red-head. He ruled out any sort of seizures, as he had not displayed that behaviour previously, and he went down the extensive list of aliments that he was familiar with, discarding the vasty majority.

"T-there's s-something," Kenshin rasped as he managed to find his voice and blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the confusion from his face. "I-it's pure e-evil."

"Evil?" Pops replied in a confused voice as he tried to decipher what the man was trying to communicate. "On the other side?" Kenshin's slight nod confirmed his question and the elder grunted as he hefted Kenshin into a much more comfortable position.

"You've felt it," Pops confirmed. "Your body is reacting-"

"-M-Miss. Kam-miya… s-she's in d-d—"

"Hush, don't speak, you'll only strain yourself," Pops commanded lightly as he went to pass the wet rag over Kenshin's sweat stained face. "Miss. Kamiya seems like a capable young lady, don't worry. Focus on regaining strength and breathing. I'm sure she's perfectly alright." The old man was patient as he tried to cool down Kenshin's body and the red head submitted to the elder's orders as he felt the small jolts of electricity travel up and down his body with less impact. His body was alive and swimming with unbridled bursts of what seemed to be dread, magic, energy, and warnings wrapped into one baffling package and it confused him greatly as he tried to contend with what his body was experiencing.

Closing his eyes that shifted between their amicable violet and their predatory amber, he choked out another harsh rasp as his body seized up again, his arm muscles seeming to curl beneath his skin. He felt as though a bizarre and foreign external force was reaching out to him, pleading for his aid as it sizzled and moved about frantically, curling up next to his core as though it sought refuge.

Then things went darker than black as his stomach emptied itself of its contents on the mossy ground and his head exploded in a siege of burning fires and the acrid smell of ashes and burning metal and a very feminine scream that echoed within the dredges of the very haggard and fragmented existence that was his own.

* * *

A/N: Hi there! I know it's been a while, but between work, moving house, and traveling, I haven't given love to anything in terms of projects! This chapter was also quite difficult to write and I'm not one-hundred percent satisfied with it, as it felt too inconsistent. At some point I would like to rework it, but I also needed it to move on with the story. :)

As usual, don't forget to read and review!


	25. Chapter 25

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XXV

Take Charge

"May your journey overflow with fortune and endurance."

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

" _On that day,_

 _When heaven and Earth shall be moved,_

 _You shall come to judge by fire."_

* * *

Ro's head turned upwards as the sky rumbled angrily above her, the familiar grey clouds casting harsh shadows over Tereré's already gloomy landscape. Her axe was swung over her shoulder as she passed near the charred remains of some of the auxiliary buildings, her eyes averting as she tried to avoid looking at them too long lest she wanted to provoke an anxiety attack.

After sending Kaoru off the day before, the blonde had thrown herself into the voluntary patrols, working double shifts—despite Aoshi's warning that she was acting foolishly—and prowling around the mountainside in search of anything that could serve as a scrap of a clue with regards to who Kenshin was or why things were escalating as they were. Her well practiced eye ravaged the thick underbrush, trying to determine if the upturned leaf was a natural cause or a sign that required her own personal interpretation or not. She had trudged through four routes, three times alone due to the lack of patrollers, once accompanied by an amateur patroller who had finally worked up the courage to accompany her.

Sanosuke was due to return to the village within the hour and she felt her desire to grill him for the details of Kaoru's departure growing as she steadied her pace towards the Long House where Tae was waiting. Megumi had taken to overworking herself as she continued to tend to those whose injuries refused to heal, she herself coming home more and more defeated. The two women were diligent professionals, they themselves aware that the villagers depended on them for various reasons, and they were aware that their services to their community were a necessity to ensure that things worked in a minimum fashion. The Delegation leader was still a pushover that tended to cower behind his desk and Ro had found out that Aoshi had been asserting himself in order to better conditions for his patrollers.

Slinking into the Long House and nodding at a tired patroller who was returning from his own shift on a different route, Ro slid up to Tae's makeshift desk and gave the older woman a cautious smile. Tae had been oddly quiet about the absence of Kaoru, something that Ro imagined that Aoshi had ordered her to do, and their conversations were often short and brief as she dutifully handed over her gear and signed off on her shifts. Tae had been leaving out hot tea and some flavourless biscuits for the patrollers pulling the extra weight yet she herself knew that the more seasoned patrollers were nearing their breaking points.

"How was it?" Tae enquired as she grunted upon receiving Ro's heavy axe in her hands, quickly setting it behind her.

"Quiet, nothing out of the ordinary," Ro reported flatly. "Still feels ominous out there, but routes R and S were all clear. I did see some tracks on the Western side though, so… something to keep in mind and spread around, I guess." She tucked her hands within the folds of her cloak as she sighed and rolled her neck.

"You're the third patroller to report that, so I'll talk to the Commander and let him know to increase patrols in that area," Tae murmured with a frown. "I'm a bit concerned though—there were reports of vizinho activity spiking in the area and it's going quiet? Something's _obviously_ wrong." Ro gave Tae an impassive look, her sky blue eyes unimpressed at the woman's guess, but she opted to keep quiet and bite her sharp tongue.

"Things alright around here?"

"More or less, we still haven't been able to find Sanosuke," Tae said with an annoyed sigh. "At times like this, we really need him to be around to lead the younger patrollers! _Honestly_ , I don't understand him and _his_ reasons for vanishing." Ro winced inwardly, knowing good and well that the rooster haired patroller was returning from escorting Kaoru, who was still technically registered on medical leave, Aoshi's flourishing signature on the cleverly forged paperwork.

"How is Kaoru doing? I haven't gotten around to seeing the poor thing because we're so shorthanded here," Tae asked as she herself diverted the conversation, nulling Ro's attempt to steer it away from Sanosuke and his whereabouts. "I know she was suffering quite a bit after the attacks on the village, but there hasn't been much news about her."

"She's… _well,_ she's been asked to be left alone," Ro offered warily as she plastered a bright smile on her face. "She's in good hands though and we're expecting her to make a full recovery soon. These sorts of things can really knock you out of commission, you know? She's also pretty doped up on herbs for the pain." Tae gave a slow nod as she made a sympathetic cluck in her throat.

"I bet she misses being out in the field with you," Tae remarked. "It's not the same when it's not your partner out there with you, I can imagine." Ro nodded firmly in agreement as she felt her hands slide deeper into the folds of her cloak, nearly resting at her side.

"Once things quiet down, I'll go visit her," Tae said as she gave Ro a tired smile. "We barely have time for ourselves these days… between this and clearing out the burn site, I just go home to sleep and eat."

"I hear you," Ro echoed as she tried to mask a large lion-like yawn, distorting her face into odd proportions.

"Speaking of which, get to bed and rest— _you've_ pulled a double and that's a killer," Tae said as her voice tightened at the realization that Ro was running low on her normally bubbly energy. The older woman had noted that the normally energetic blonde was brooding significantly more and had grown oddly quiet over the last few days. "We'll pull through, but we can't afford to lose you now." Ro eyed the older woman, whose face had fallen into an almost grieving state, and she gave another slow nod in acknowledgement of Tae's not-so-subtle plea to take better care of herself in some of the most trying times that they were experiencing.

"I will," Ro said mutely as she turned on her heel, her blonde tresses bouncing against her shoulders as she slowly retreated from Tae's temporary work space, exiting the Long House as her boots crunched in the snow beneath her feet. She shivered as the rush of chill air hit her frame, scuttling towards her district as she felt the wind bite at her exposed ears, her Southern blood icing over as she longed for the comfort of her home and the fire that she knew was waiting for her. Sanosuke knew to go directly to her home where he would bring her up to speed on what had happened on the journey to Nantia and the train station.

At the moment, however, she was more invested in letting her mind and body rest beneath the warmth of the thick blankets that shielded her from reality as she drifted into the realm of dreamless sleep.

* * *

 _"Kaoru?"_ She turned her head to look at the origin of the voice, her blue eyes softening at the figure of her father who peered over the edge of his newspaper. He was tucked within the snug confines of a chair, his dark eyes were calm and collected as he regarded his daughter. She was wearing her loose pants and white shirt, comfortable clothes that were typically worn in the safe embrace of their home, and she had a massive scroll rolled out before her that she was pouring over as she tried to catch up with her reading. The subject matter blurred to her, rendering it illegible, yet she was not bothered by that in the least. There was a golden light cast over the smudges of text, a mild smell of ginger and a boreal forest filling the room.

"Yes?"

"Are you afraid?" Her lips flickered downwards into a hesitant frown at his enquiry, he himself doubting if he wanted to truly ask her that question.

"Afraid of what?" She asked cautiously, setting the unreadable scroll to the side as she folded her hands on the tops of her knees, her head tilting to the side slightly as she tried to find meaning in his question.

"Does the concept of death frighten you?" Her father asked as he lowered his newspaper, the same ghost of a smile still on his aged face. "I know since we've lost your mother, you've… been a bit hesitant to talk about it. I'm just a bit worried, that's all." Kaoru felt her weight shift as she considered his question, the word 'death' still weighing heavily on her after losing her mother and a few friends. When her father would ask about how she was handling things and if she was alright, she would shy away and shrug off his question with a dismissive answer that she knew would fend him off for a while.

"Yes and no," She settled for as she found her mouth moving on its own accord. " _Perhaps_ I've seen enough to realize that death is very real—but I'm not sure if I'm ready to die just yet… although I am in a profession where death can strike at any minute. I guess I'm not really sure?" She blinked as she found herself baffled by the words that were being formed and slipping from between her lips; there was something a bit odd about her response and she shook her head, her bobbed hair brushing against her chin with the movement.

"And what about now?"

" _Now?_ "

"Is there something that you're living for right this moment?" Her father asked as he folded the paper and tucked it into the cushion of the chair, he himself crossing his arms over his chest as he regarded her with an even look, the same smile still adorning his face. It was the sudden roar of a mechanical beast that brought her mind to focus to realize that she and her father were not sitting in their cozy living room but rather they were aboard a moving train. She could hear the whizzing landscape permeate through the windows, the growling of the wheels beneath her feet, and the whistle of the steam whipping around the train as the great beast powered forward.

"Where are we?" Kaoru asked as she ignored his question and moved to rise to her feet, her espadrille clad feet hitting the uneven floor of the wagon as she made her way closer to a window. She peered through the stained windows, lightly illuminated by the golden glow on the table, catching glimpses of a pitch black sky and endless fields of long green grass that rolled along as they saluted her from a safe distance. She wheeled around to stare at her father, who was watching her idly with a neutral interest that lost the warmth she had known him to always have had.

" _Where are we?_ " She repeated in a much more forceful voice, her hands gripping them hem of her shirt as she leaned away from the window and turned to face him full on with an aggravated look that reached her bright eyes. "What is this place? Who are _you?_ "

"I'm who _you_ want me to be, Kaoru," He replied quietly as he leaned further back into his chair, contemplating her with a careful stare. "And we are where you want to be: although it seems that your mind has put us aboard a train speeding to an unknown destination."

"An unknown destination?" Kaoru echoed as she furrowed her brow at the ambiguously constructed sentence that provoked more questions than provided answers. She released the hem of her shirt and glowered at the figure that was apparently her father, she herself now doubting that he was who he stated he was: every fibre in her body screamed out at her in warning that this was an unideal situation to be in and that she needed to be on her highest guard. She felt a weight inside her pocket and instantly recognized that it was Megumi's pistol as she felt the cool metal bleed through the soft material of her pants and rest heavily against her leg.

"Your ticket is on the table, have a look," He said in an inviting tone that was a cross between mockery and bemusement. Kaoru gave him a wary glare, but relented, approaching the table as she found the paper that was embossed with the insignia of the railroad company of Central. She picked it up between two fingers, gingerly holding it up to the soft golden light and flipping it around so that she could see the information that was printed onto the paper stub, and she felt the blood drain from her face as she realized that the slots for _DESTINATION_ and _ORIGIN_ were both left blank. She turned the paper around again to ensure that it was not some misprint and found that the other side simply sported the railroad company's seal.

"What is _this_?" She demanded. "Why is there no destination printed on it?"

"What you want it to be," Her father's figure replied as his frown deepened. "You're in control of this domain, Kaoru—everything that exists here is your creation. A train could be many things: a quick means of escape, a slow and leisurely journey: although you are a Northerner, so green fields are quite a rare thing for you to linger on, don't _you_ think?" His gnarled hands furled together as he rubbed them together carelessly, his eyes taking on a distant look.

"What are you running away from, Kaoru?" He asked as he stared up at her as she towered over him, her blue eyes narrowing as she tried to hold back the cry of frustration at the situation that she found herself ensnared within once again. "Are you running away from death itself? You know that fall is going to be deadly."

"How do you know?" She murmured as her eyes widened again at the realization that this strange form that took on the shape of her father was much more aware and conscious about the situation than she herself was. She took a trembling step backwards, her rump bumping against the edge of the table, and she reached behind her to brace against the piece of furniture as she felt the train sway angrily as though it were reacting to her kaleidoscope of raging emotions that churned within her. Kaoru felt the lump in her throat form once again as she swallowed, her eyes cast to the side as she tried to peek through the windows, but she only saw darkness with the occasional patch of emerald green grass.

" _This_ of course isn't real but it _also_ could be very real," He continued to speak as he continued to rub his hands together. "Time can stop or it can flow—this world is full of endless possibilities. This is _your_ world, Kaoru, you're the master of your own domain. I, of course, am not your father—but you have given me the face of him." His tired eyes met her much more alert ones as he mouthed, "This is your playing field."

"None of what you're saying makes any sense," She stammered as she felt the train pitch to one side slightly before it corrected itself. "Why do you think I'm running away from something?"

"I don't know if you are," The figure relented as he gave a casual shrug, the shadows from the golden light on the table casting the angles and contours of his face in bizarre ways. "You could be speeding towards something as well. Only you really know—I'm just along for the ride."

"I still don't understand any of this," Kaoru said as she blinked owlishly. "What do you mean I'm the master of my own domain?"

"This train is a creation of your own mind, memories, and ideas," The man explained as he rolled his neck, the joint making a pleasant cracking sound as he hummed in his throat. "If you think it, _it_ exists—that's how it goes, my dear." His eyes trailed back to her own azure orbs as he gave her a fleeting smile that was not malicious yet not amicable. There was a certain emptiness to it that failed to capture and replicate the warmth and gentleness that were her father's typical smiles, leaving her feeling very vulnerable and disappointed that the very image she had thought to be real being a figment of her imagination.

"Take, for example, that door at the back of the car," He pointed out as he jerked his head towards the rear of the car. Kaoru lifted her gaze and realized that there was a door there that had not been there previously, the wall having been empty and the cart a sealed chamber that rumbled along the tracks. "You've just concocted that based on the fact you wish to escape from here—that's all your own creation and doing. You may not realize you're doing this, but this plain is very sensitive to emotions and reacts accordingly." His gaze glimmered in the faint light as he tilted his head and continued to hum under his throat.

" _I_ did _that_?" She asked aloud as she glanced back at him, the man nodding slowly.

"Indeed," He confirmed. "You can imagine what's behind the door as well—once again, you're running the show, Kaoru. This is your own stage." She felt her shoulders tense up momentarily at his words but she turned her gaze back to the door as she slowly took a step towards it, her hand reaching upwards and her fingers connecting with the polished wood. She ran her fingers down the surface of the door, her eyes studying it with her usual skepticism, and she could not determine anything bizarre about the door. It was well polished, all splinters having been removed, and it was stained a dark brown that seemed to clash with the cherry stained wood of the interior of the train wagon.

"What do you want to be behind that door?" He goaded. " _Anything_ you want."

"I'm not sure," Kaoru whispered as she continued to examine the door. Her hands wandered down to the handle and she gave it an experimental tug, frowning when she realized it was firmly locked and shut. "There's a lot of things, I guess."

"Such as?" She was aware to the fact he was egging her on and she turned to regard him momentarily before returning to fixate her gaze on the door and its handle.

"There's a lot of questions that I want to be answered," Kaoru relented. "I want to know what happened to my father—which you're clearly not—I want to know where we went wrong… why are we punished by Central and Enishi? Why have we forsaken our roots and have bowed our heads to the repression? Whose ideals should I be following if I can't follow my own?" Her grip on the door-handle tightened, the blood draining and rendering her hands a ghostly pale colour as she bit her lip.

"I want to know why we are being attacked by the black vizinho, I want to know how I can better help Ro, Megumi, Sano, and even Yahiko… I want to know what I can do to help myself," She continued to ramble on as her grip continued to tighten even more. "My life has been something that I have very little control over in terms of what I want to do—I've been too scared to leave my village until recently, I'm slaughtering beasts because Central tells me to do it, I'm watching a lot of people suffer because of one man's greed and drive to put us on top: I want to know _why_ we are castigated to this life that we obviously have had no say in until this moment."

"Quite the burden," He remarked. "Anything else?"

"I…" She trailed off as she felt a flash of red and violet cross her agitated mind as she felt the pistol weigh heavily against her in warning. The train's horn blew several times, announcing something that escaped Kaoru but piqued the interest of the being that resembled her father. He tilted his head curiously and contemplated the bizarre pattern of short and long sounds as though he understood their covert language.

"My, oh, my, we're running out of time," He said in a faux playful tone. "Once again, my dear, is there _anything_ else? Or rather, is there _anyone_ you want to see if you can get that door open? You could stay here, too… it's quite comfortable, I think."

"Stay? You mean ' _here'_?" She questioned.

"Of course, why not?" He proposed. "You're tired and you've had a difficult time up until now… wouldn't you like the world to stop for a while so that you can rest? You have earned it, my dear, you've suffered so much. This place isn't that bad, it's quiet and it's warm. It's the _perfect_ place to settle down and rest for as long as you see necessary." His voice was silky smooth and the words were gentle as he coaxed her into considering her options. "You can be a strong individual but even the strongest must throw in the towel from time to time. We're not blessed with unlimited reserves, much to our grief, and sometimes we push ourselves until we break and cannot be repaired. You won't be of much use to whoever you're looking for if you can't move because your spirit and body have been driven into the ground.

" _Well…_ " He trailed off as his eyes slid back to hers. "That's if there's someone you want to see."

"Yes, of course there is!" Kaoru replied quickly in a semi-snappish tone as she felt her defences rise up against the accusatory tone that tainted his voice. "I want to see Sano, Ro, Megumi… even Yahiko and Misao! I want to see the other patrollers, too… my dad, my mom—if possible—Tae…" She trailed off as the image of Kenshin magnified in her mind, violet eyes peering at her with a gentleness that would melt away those last few layers of icy defence she had erected. There was a hint of knowingness to his gaze, a familiar sense of calmness sweeping her up in the moment as her breath hitched in the depths of her throat. Something within her made her pause, a recognition of the fact she needed and wanted to see him once more solidifying her cause that seemed even too farfetched in a prior moment.

" _Anyone else_?" He prompted once again, subtly hinting to the fact that she had to vocalize her desire to see the red head once more as he tilted his head from side to side impatiently, the train whistling once more in annoyance at her hesitation. The light bounced off the walls and Kaoru found herself turning to stare at the light source, a silent gasp rising as she recognized it as the light box that she and Ro had found in the forest months prior, the forbidden fruit of taboo resting on the worn table and moving the world between light and dark. She had nearly forgotten about the light box, her attentions immediately shifted to Kenshin, and it all came crashing back to her as she jerked her head towards the old man.

"Yes, there is _someone,_ " She said slowly as her eyes narrowed, turning her attentions back to the recently formed door that seemed to scream volumes at her but she was unable to decipher what she was supposed to do. The light box seemed to flare up in response as she mustered the courage that slowly bubbled to the surface of her conscious, the flickering of the glow off the walls increasing in intensity as she once again wrapped her hand around the door-handle at the realization that the light-box was a reminder of what she had set out to do despite the comfort of the train and the farce figure that resembled her father if she wished to contain herself and chain herself to the speeding train to nowhere. The light-box, a guiding light that had beckoned her from the domains of the forest, was once again guiding her towards something that she knew would mark her life in a significant way, spinning her compass until it landed on the direction she knew she needed to follow.

"I want to see Kenshin again," Kaoru said as she closed her azure eyes, inhaling deeply as she felt the familiar scent of the forest and red haired man permeate her senses, her hand pulling downwards on the door-handle, the door giving way. Snapping her eyes open as she felt the door give into her, her head lifting at the realization that she was free to pass through its threshold into the other side if she were to give it the required pull towards her. Turning to stare at the figure of the old man who resembled her father, she found that he had risen to his feet and was applauding her, a genuine smile painted onto his face as the shadows whipped up and began to wrap their tendrils around him, erasing his details from this bizarre plain.

"Good luck, Kaoru," The man said as his eyes were rendered into nothingness, the shadows capturing them and leaving a void on his face. His smile seemed to melt away into nothingness as he departed this world, his existence washed away into the great nothingness that faded away into the background of her mind. "You've taken your decision to forge ahead—we cannot meet again, but I do wish you the best in your quest, my dear. Your father would find you to be a _remarkable_ young lady now." An icy chuckle filled the air as he vanished into the darkness, abandoning her in the train that swayed in warning that she needed to get moving and could not linger despite the mention of her father. Grunting as she filed it for another moment, she tightened her grasp on the door-handle once more and took a halting breath as she tried to centre herself once more.

The sound of silence was deafening as the world stilled, her hand firmly yanking on the door-handle as she stepped into the motion, her biceps flexing as she dragged the door open, her feet moving forward as she pushed her way through invisible barriers. Exhaling as she threw herself into the darkness and stepped away from the safety of the train car, she lifted her head and found herself face to face with the red headed man who was regarding her with the same look of calmed affection that he reserved only for her, his familiar second hand clothes billowing around him and his hair loose from the hold of its customary ponytail. Kaoru felt her body jerk at the sight of him as she let out a straggled cry, her arms reaching out towards him as he lifted his own arms silently, ready to intercept her in his own protective embrace as she powered towards him, the world catching up with her as she closed the gap between them.

Crashing into him with the force of a raging storm, she felt his arms wrap around her and his hands rest on her lower back, his chin tucked onto her shoulder as he held her close. Kaoru, unsure as to if this was a mere creation of his very image or the real thing, contented herself as she buried his face into the juncture of his shoulder and neck, the familiar forestal smell that rolled off him in gentle waves engulfing her and rocking her into a lulled sense of calmness that she had not felt in many weeks. All the pain and groans of her body seemed to vanish into thin air, her soul's agitation slowly receding, and her existence seeming to sink back into the depths of a foreign-sense of peace that had recently eluded her.

Her mind wandered back to the Solstice festival where they had danced together, lost in their own private world that seemed to revolve around the words and feelings unsaid but openly expressed. The swirling of her coloured skirts, the gentle rustling of his borrowed white cloak, and their bodies that moved seamlessly through the movements as they allowed themselves the luxury of forgetting the cruel world that existed around them and focused on their fledgling of a relationship. The others had been privy to it, their eyes seeing what was the blooming of a delicate flower that was stubbornly fighting its way to salute the sun. Kaoru following and preoccupying for Kenshin's well-being and his acceptance of his insertion into a foreign world with her as his guiding post had brought them closer together than they realized and as they moved to the drum beats, they found themselves in silent acknowledgement without saying what they really needed to say.

"Is Miss. Kamiya well?" He voice enquired and she nodded against the muscles that rippled beneath her, the steady heart beat assuring her that he was still alive somewhere. She heard the sigh of relief as he adjusted his hold on her, as though this conjuring of him was trying to take advantage of the constructed moment.

"And you?" She returned the question.

"This one is…" He trailed off as he tried to formulate the words to express what was running through his mind. "… This one is _well_ —concerned about Miss. Kamiya, but well. Something has brought this one to this world, that it has." He peeled away from her as he levelled his gaze and caught her eyes with his own, the violet orbs alert and teaming with a vast array of emotions that Kaoru could not pinpoint all at once.

"Is all well?"

"Well…" She found herself drifting off, unsure as to what would be the ideal response to his question. She knew that she herself had summoned this image of Kenshin to this bizarre plain whose name and existence she did not know, and she felt something weigh heavily against her heart as she bit her lip nervously. "I'm trying to get to a place, but there's a few obstacles in the way—and I think I've bitten off a lot more than I can chew." The pistol brushed against her leg in reminder and she contemplated the benefits of coming clean to the still amnesia-ridden red head or continuing with the farce in the interest of protecting him.

"This one has felt a great unsettling in the air and it was related to Miss. Kamiya," Kenshin said in a soft yet nearly blunt tone, catching Kaoru momentarily off guard as she felt his hands slide away from her and come to rest at his side. He gave her a pained look, she herself having an expression of disappointment at the breaking of their intimate contact. "Then this one woke here.

"Miss. Kamiya, at the risk of this one being too insistent, _please_ —do not do anything too risky or that would put in danger," He pleaded as his mouth formed into a stern line on his mouth.

She was silent as his words entered her ears and nested within her mind and heart, she herself feeling momentarily guilty that, wherever he was, he was still as perceptive as ever. Kenshin's muted stare had hardened slightly at the mention of her relation to what he had dubbed a ' _great unsettling_ ' and her mind leapt towards the thought of the canine vizinho that had been terrorizing the train. Kaoru bit her lip once again as she folded her hands in front of her, casting her gaze downwards as she stared at their feet in the attempts to collect her thoughts and translate them into words.

"Miss. Kamiya, wouldn't it be time to wake?" Her eyes drifted back up to his own stare as he gave her a tentative half smile. "Both of us are aware that this plain exists when slumber takes us—whatever this disturbance is, it seems as though Miss. Kamiya may be able to restore balance for the moment." His violet eyes were filled with a delicate sadness that rimmed his irises in the acknowledgement that they had to separate once more despite her yanking open the door that had revealed to her another path to take as opposed to her resignation to staying put within the train.

" _I_ —" She was cut off by his words of, "This one may be unable to do much, but this one will try to support Miss. Kamiya from wherever in this plain or beyond it." His half smile widened as he lifted a hand between them and she stared down at it, seemingly nervous to take it as though it were a sign of another painful departure.

"Miss. Kamiya," Kenshin uttered and Kaoru's eyes widened as she felt something flowering within her gut that seemed to drive her forward, her arm lifting as her hand stretched out and clutched his, their fingers interlocking as he hauled her forward, the world awash with the golden light and the smell of ginger and winter lingering as her mind snapped to attention.

* * *

Strong hands wrapped around Kaoru's left wrist as her eyes opened, her body angled backwards so that her back was arched. She was suspended from the side of the train but she felt the strong hands of two passengers gripping onto her for dear life as Yahiko appeared behind them and shouted for them to pull her up. He had heard Kaoru's scream and had shoved his way towards the side of the train wagon where he had been able to barely catch her before two passengers muscled their way into the scenario and helped him drag her up before her body was to hit the tracks. It was merely stupid luck and the fact he had been attentive, she had been mere centimetres from losing her life, and she was unsure as to how much time had passed between her visions of the father-like figure and Kenshin.

" _Shit,_ Kaoru, you scared me!" Misao shouted as her head popped out a window in the other wagon. "What the _hell_ happened?" Kaoru blinked as she gathered her senses and realized that she was still in significant danger, the panting of the vizinho still loud and echoing as the train tore along the tracks.

" _Pull her up!_ " Yahiko ordered, much to the annoyance of the two older men, but they complied as they eased her through the fully open window, her legs scraping angrily against broken glass. Collapsing to the floor as she fell to all fours, she took in ragged breaths as the last images of Kenshin and the train dissipated from her mind and reality sunk into the moment. Her chest heaved and her muscles quivered, but she felt something cool and metallic in her hand and realized that Megumi's gift was still firmly wrapped in her right hand, all the blood drained from how desperately she clung to the pistol.

"You okay, Ugly?" Yahiko asked quickly as the two men retreated into the crowd and watched her with wide and confused eyes.

"I-I think s-so," She breathed as she raised her left hand to rest it over her chest.

"You ain't going to get _that_ lucky again," Yahiko remarked as he ran a hand through his hair nervously. "The damned thing has slowed down though—so you hit it!" There was a sense of warrior pride that bled into his words and Kaoru could only nod numbly as she processed what he was telling her. She looked down at the pistol in her hand, in awe that it had been able to deliver enough damage to at least slow down the grim-black creature, and she looked back up at the mix of admiring and worried stares that were all trained on her.

"Is it still attacking t-the train?" Kaoru asked as she felt her winds come back to her figurative sails as she slowly pushed herself to her feet, her stance unstable but still better off than what she imagined. She knew that she probably now had glass embedded into her legs from being hauled through the shattered window but it was insignificant compared to other pain she had recently experienced.

"For the moment, no," A passenger answered. "But it's still following the train."

" _Damn_ ," Yahiko bit out.

"Do you think we can get away?" A female passenger spoke up. "I mean, if you were able to disable it with—" Her eyes cast downward at Kaoru's pistol, "—that, it should buy us enough time, _yes_?" The woman was resting her hand on a tiny child's head as he buried his face into her skirts and Kaoru felt a sinking feeling at remembering that she had been comforting a child in a dastardly situation a mere few weeks prior. The image of Inaho's tears was enough to remind Kaoru that she had been taken under oath to protect human life against all that threatened it and that, despite these people not necessarily being from the same village, she knew she had to rise to the expectation and defend the train as best as she could with the tools she had.

"Wouldn't it be best to eliminate the threat?" Another passenger pipped up.

"Where are the conductors in all of this?" A fourth passenger voiced.

"This is ridiculous, with everything happening in the West and they don't even send a patrol to protect the trains," Another passenger whined.

"We need to find the authorities responsible for calling the shots," Another passenger proposed, another group murmuring in agreement while others cursed the railroad staff for not being present during an extremely dangerous situation that had left more than a hundred people in the hands of three young adults. The same passenger felt Yahiko's heated gaze fixated on him and shrugged before mouthing, " _No offence_."

"How far behind is it?" Kaoru finally asked as she managed to silence the crowd who all turned to gaze at her once more.

"About half a kilometre," The third passenger replied nervously. "Well, at least from this car…" Kaoru's exhausted mind kicked into strategy mode, as her instincts honed by her patroller training forced her to do, and she assessed her options to use the train to her advantage or at least to work it so it was not a hindrance. Climbing back up onto the roof was ruled out immediately, she reasoned, as it was too unstable and there was no chance in hell she would be lucky enough again to have someone be able to break her a second time. She considered aiming from one of the windows on the car, but she knew her aim would be off because she was too far ahead to be able to hit it with the mere practice Sanosuke had submitted her to prior to departing for Central.

"What if we slow the train?" A passenger suggested and all eyes whirled to face him. He was a smart looking youth, his face framed with darkish hair and his sharp eyes alive with a strange gleam to them that hinted at a hidden intelligence. "Let it catch up and you try to finish it off?"

"That's insane, it's too risky," Another woman snapped. "What if she misses?"

"No, no, _wait—_ I see what he's saying," Yahiko butted in as he nodded vigorously. "Kaoru—you need to get to the back of the train and aim from there: it gives us a wider berth to work with and you get closer without necessarily putting everyone else in danger." Kaoru's mind visualized what he was proposing and she could immediately see what his plan was aiming to do: the back of the train could be vacated of passengers and she could at least ensure that the vizinho had less access to whatever it was it was searching for as she took the deadly shot to try and end its rampage before it could clamp down on the train and derail it completely.

"How do we slow the train?"

"The brakes are in the front, where the conductors should be," Another passenger explained as he pointed towards the door leading to the next carriage. "There's ten cars on this train, so it's about four ahead of us, I think? If some of us can make it up there, we can try to slow the train down enough for it to get within range—that is, if it helps." The other boy nodded as a few passengers murmured amongst themselves, some discrediting the plan as too risky whilst others saw the minimum benefits to it and acknowledged it was a last-ditch attempt to protect the train and its people.

"A bunch of us can make it to the front," He said as he gestured madly towards the door. "You two should get to the back and see what you can do! As shitty as it is: we're really counting on you." There was mixed expressions amongst the passengers as they shifted nervously from foot to foot, the train huffing and puffing along as it groaned beneath them, and Kaoru nodded tiredly whilst Yahiko started to point at various passengers, separating them into groups to either help balance the train or to rally people into the forward most cars to avoid any collateral damage in the rear of the speeding train.

"Can you do it again _though?_ " A doubtful voice spoke up from amongst the crowd of passengers.

"What do you mean by that?" Yahiko snapped defensively, to which Kaoru waved for him to be quiet as she dragged her gaze over to the owner of the voice, a young woman who was cradling her very pregnant stomach between her hands. Her face was desolate as she gazed down at them, her delicate china-like features darkening and harshening her features significantly.

"Can you do it _again?_ " The woman echoed as though Kaoru had not comprehended her question.

"I don't know," Kaoru admitted finally as she spoke for the first time in the last few minutes. The woman gave her a blank stare, seemingly horrified that her and her unborn baby's life were doomed to be resting in the hands of such a ragged woman that had allowed herself to nearly be thrown from the roof of the train. She was disheveled, her hair was plastered to her forehead with a heavy sheen of sweat, her muscles were tired, and her heart was still thumping against her chest as the world suddenly caught up to her.

"But I'll be damned if I don't get a second try," Kaoru spat angrily as she winced at the glass shards that cut into her legs, knowing that she would regret moving so much later when the adrenaline and renewed sense of purpose wore off and gave way to the reality of the situation. She brushed a short strand of hair from her face as she glanced up at the brave few passengers that had volunteered or had been forcibly volunteered by Yahiko. "I may be the one shooting this gun, but this isn't something that I can do by myself—no one can. If anyone wants to help… that would be great." Her eyes were badly focused as she blinked, trying to dispel the blurriness as she nodded firmly at the small group of souls that would accompany her in her task.

"I'm in," The sharp-eyed boy said as he stepped forward.

"Me too," Another man dressed in grey said as he drew up with the youth. A few other passengers, both men and women, stepped forward into their group. The pregnant woman held back, she herself prioritizing her baby's safety over recklessness, but a few other well-bodied women came forth to the call of duty. Kaoru took a mental count and saw that a good twelve people were willing to accompany her to the back of the train. She knew that their support would be needed as others volunteered to make their way to the front of the train and attempt to slow it enough for the plan to be executed.

"Everyone who's going to the front, start moving—those of us going to the back, come with us!" Yahiko called as he approached Kaoru and looped a steady muscular arm through her own, letting her know that she would not be walking this treacherous path to the back of the train unaccompanied. The youth was oddly perceptive, she decided, as she realized that he had been eying her now shredded legs that were ribboned with small streams of blood from the glass.

"You—" Yahiko swung round to look at the other young boy.

"— _My name_ is Soujirou," The boy interjected with a tight smile.

"Right, Soujirou," Yahiko began again as he felt Kaoru's weight against him, "You guys make it to the front of the train and try to slow it enough so that Kaoru can try and shoot it." Soujirou nodded in acknowledgement as he gave Kaoru the once up-and-down, seeming to size her up for the first time. She was not a big woman and yet there was something fierce about her that made him hesitate momentarily: her features were stern and hardened in the heat of the attack, her eyes were calculating, and her muscles flexed involuntarily. She would have required great strength to have accomplished scaling up the ladder and maintaining her balance on the top of a speeding train and she had been able to significantly slow down the approaching vizinho with one shot. He guessed that she was more than likely a patroller, her knowledge hinting subtly at the fact she knew where to aim, and he was surprised that they allowed her to be in possession of such a weapon.

"The rest of you—come with us," Yahiko ordered as he jerked his head towards the door, he and Kaoru leading the pack. The twelve passengers that volunteered to venture to the back of the train with them filed behind them in line, Yahiko and Kaoru pushing open the door that connected the two cars together as they moved from one to another. They took evenly drawn steps—their eyes constantly darting around as they took in their environment and passed through the cars. The twelve passengers began to call out to the other passengers to move to the front of the train, ensuring them that it was the safest place to be at the moment, whilst the two leaders remained silent and focused on what was happening around them. Kaoru and Yahiko were aware of the stares, the murmurs, and the shuffling of feet as people went to congregate at the door to file through to the next car, but they tuned it out as they moved forward.

* * *

A ripple of water resounded lightly though his ears, his eyes stirring as he felt them slowly pry themselves open. There was a warmth to him that he had not felt before, as though he had been embracing someone to him, yet the water around him cradled him gently as it rocked him in its watery hold. His hair was loose and fanned out beneath him as he came to realize that he was staring up at the green canopy of trees with the sunlight filtering lazily through the wide leaves of the tall trees.

Kenshin inhaled momentarily, the crisp air hitting his lungs, and he felt his arms move beneath him in the water to propel him in no specific direction. It was a deeper pool, he realized, as his feet did not skirt over the rocky bottom like they normally did, and the water was the ideal temperature as it washed over him. His clothes were sopping wet and clung to his body sloppily, the material cool against his warmed skin as though he had been left to the water's care after blacking out. He knew that Pops was nearby, most likely watching from a safe distance while he tended to his other tasks, and relaxed as he felt the water brush against him in a very smug feline like way.

The images of Miss. Kamiya were fresh in his mind and she had looked extremely different: she was not her normal calm and composed self, she had been ragged, distraught, and had run at him with little warning. He himself had been surrounded by an inky darkness with little indication as to where he was and it was only with the sound of a door opening that he turned around and saw her rushing towards him, much to his disbelief. His body and mind had been screaming at him that she had been in danger, the sounds of the wind, water, and trees whispering frantically that something was horribly wrong, and yet he found her within the darkened plain. When she had collided into him, it had been automatic to hold her to him and try to calm her, he himself resigning to the fact that he had to be the source of stability in the moment, and he had thought it had been too good to be true that they had been reunited despite the fact the air was rank with danger and it unsettled him.

Rolling in the water so that his face was submerged, he pushed himself below the lapping waters and stared down at the bottom of the pool, the plants and aquatic weeds swaying side to side like graceful dancers fighting against an underwater breeze. Kenshin kicked towards the bottom as he let the currents buoy him around in their playful-like manner, he himself feeling weightless as his mind focused on Miss. Kamiya and his parting words that she needed to exercise much more caution. He was unsure as to what had triggered such a violent response in his body and why everything around him was honing him into the fact she was in a risky situation, but he was grateful to have been able to confirm that she had been alive.

When he had reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her forward, he had felt themselves separate by some great unknown force and he knew she would vanish in that moment. The world had exploded into a golden light as he had not even been able to catch a last glimpse of her expression but something eased Kenshin's worry at knowing she was still alive. He also felt a rising sense of relief at knowing that these meetings and encounters happened when they both slumbered, one of the very few consistencies that they could enjoy in the throes of chaos, and that despite his selfishness of wanting to keep her with him much longer, he knew that she needed to wake and take action otherwise that would have been their last encounter. Something within him had sent a red flag of warning that he had to drive her in the right direction where she was needed more.

Despite the great separation between him and Miss. Kamiya, unsure as to where she was from or where she was heading, Kenshin was at ease knowing that she was following the path that she needed to pursue to obtain her objective. There was something fiery lingering beneath the surface of her personality and it drew him to whatever it may have been. There was a certain grace that she carried herself with yet her eyes seemed to have experienced pain and have seen many horrible things in her lifetime and he wanted nothing more than to relieve her of such internal suffering that she seemed hesitant to share. Reaching through the darkness and seeing her running towards him had been a crucial breakthrough in terms of the fragile threads of trust that had been woven between them. He was still left in the dark about the more intimate workings of their relationship and who she was to him, but each encounter seemed to peel back another layer of complexity in the attempts to reach the core of what he needed to know about himself and her.

 _Be safe_ , he thought as he floated back up towards the surface, the sunlight reaching down to accept him into its warm embrace.

* * *

A/N: Hello, hello! Another update! :D I've made it a bit longer this time... so I hope it makes up for a general lack of activity! We're very close to 100 reviews, so thank you everyone who has left feedback/reviews/comments! They make my day.

Until next time!


	26. Chapter 26

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XXVI

Under the Ladder

"May your journey overflow with trials and success."

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

* * *

Tomoe's arms were crossed over her chest, her simple shirt patterned with a floral design, as she glowered at the lingering figure of her brother. She had been awake most of the night and all morning, something lurching in her gut as she felt a great shift in the winds that made her shudder. Her hair was pulled up into a high knot on her head, her eyes ringed with dark lines as she peered through the window towards the courtyard where she could see Enishi resting on a bench overlooking some of the hedges in the garden. He had been oddly quiet and had not said anything to her, most likely aware that she was tuned into whatever was occurring, and had opted to isolate himself from her presence to keep to himself and whatever he was scheming.

She did not dare to enquire as to what was bothering him, she herself not outwardly interested, but she would not doubt that whatever was stirring in the air was indirectly caused by his actions. She had seen higher ranked government functionaries entering his office and they would be in meetings for several hours. They often came out with their faces plastered with a hardness to it and they looked upset with whatever had been discussed. Their arms ladened with paperwork and stamped documents, they would shuffle down the lengthy hallway to the common area of the grounds, conversing amongst themselves in low voices as they exchanged puzzled looks. Tomoe found it oddly comforting that they were as stumped with her brother's questionable governance and decisions as she was yet she found no solace in the fact that they were compliant with his demands.

For as long as she had known her brother, he had always been motivated by his hardy desire to trump the other plain and its residents, securing humanity's place in an ever changing world. The conflicts centred on resources, the constant struggle to reassert humanity's role as the dominant protagonist, and the necessity to exercise utter control over the four corners of the country had made him an uglier man. When they were younger, he had been much more human and had been much more empathetic: his changes came as he understood what borders he could redraw with his powers, recently vested within him from a violent take over from the previous leader. She had watched how his heart was dyed into a darker than black hue, his humanity draining away into nothingness as he manipulated the world as though playing upon an elaborate game-board.

When he had realized she was gifted with the extrasensory perception that plagued her night and day, he had turned his sights onto her and began to gently coerce her into his biddings without her immediate realization. There was something oddly charming, she had decided, about how Enishi would sweetly ask her to give her opinion on certain decisions or certain situations. She would play along, volunteering information—especially if it was regarding a character she found less than savoury—and helping guide her brother to taking decisions that she predicted would not affect the overall political landscape in a significant way. Tomoe then became aware, after one particularly sticky situation in the West, that she was being taken advantage of when her brother asked her directly about the assassination of a prominent Delegation representatives and when would be the most opportune moment to strike him down.

She had abandoned the capital after that spiny argument, Tomoe firmly defending her integrity with regards to not involving herself in the bloodshed that her brother seemed to be growing extremely fond of as he secured his position. They had been reduced to a shouting match in the grand hall, several Delegation representatives staring on in horror, and she had accused him of being a power hungry monger that was driving the country into the ground. He had refuted her claim and called her a traitor to the country's values and their family. She had hissed and verbally lashed out at him, telling him that she would no longer partake in his business and threatened to bring up his actions in the judiciary branch of the government, to which Enishi laughed dismissively and bid her good luck at attempting to raise a ruckus in the courts.

The following week she had left without warning, shedding her elaborate garments that had been tailored for her, and catching the first train out of Central towards the Southern region. She had crept around the palace before the break of dawn, hoping that her brother would not awaken from his slumber, and she slipped through the doors without being detected. She opted for the South, unsure as to how she would fare against the bitter winds and darkness of the North, and had taken the train to the end of its line. She had stepped down from the train car, her cloak wrapped firmly around her body, and had felt the warm breezes caress her face as she let out a breath she had been holding since she had climbed aboard.

Tomoe had quickly decided to move from village to village, not establishing a permanent base. She quickly found a steady form of supporting herself, assisting where she could and tapping into her perception to be able to provide steady advice to whoever had been willing to pay her a small fee. Her clients ranged from farmers to politicians aligned with her brother: no questions were ever asked and she gave no additional information outside of what she was contracted to provided. She was bemused that people would invest belief into something so trivial, but it paid for her meals and accommodation as she glided through the Southern plains and garnered a reputation that she was sure had reached the ears of Enishi. She had been most surprised when he had not pursued her and dragged her back to Central, instead letting her wander about the South as she moved in and out of the shadows that he, too, seemed to control. Her wanderings and work had landed her in situations; she had been jailed, she had been accused of witchcraft or from being from the other-side, or she had been branded a freak. Tomoe paid little mind to them and simply waited out the outcomes, her job a true exercise in patience.

It was only upon visiting a small village called Chotororo and a chance encounter that she realized that she was toeing a very fine line between the moral application of her gift and the very dangerous game of exploitation. She had been assisting the elderly woman in a small general store, noticing that rations were more reduced than normal, and was taking stock of what looked to be tubers that had seen better days when the bell above the door announced someone walking into the small shop.

Looking up, she came eye to eye with a smaller blonde woman whose hair was brighter than the rolling grasses of the Southern lands, her eyes seeming to house extracts of sky blue as she stared blankly at Megumi. Nestled on her head was a wide brimmed hat and she was dressed in an earthy coloured jacket and long flowing black pants that seemed comically large on her small frame. She was beautiful in an odd sort of enchanting way, encompassing the South in her physical body, and she narrowed her eyes at the strange woman that was behind the counter as she slowly approached her.

Tomoe would come to find out that this woman was called Ro, her surname never coming up in conversation, and she was a native of the hamlet. Tomoe had crafted a careful narrative to her pseudo-life, stating she was from a small village called Elizondo. Ro had given her a half nod, obviously not convinced by Tomoe's accent and mannerisms, but had decided to forgo pushing the issue as she allowed Tomoe to lie to her while sprinkling her story with flecks of the truth. Hardly impressed by Tomoe, Ro kept her distance and very rarely spoke to her outside of the minimum interaction required at the store. The old woman who worked in the store had remarked that Ro was married and she and her husband were suffering great difficulties being in such a village with so few prospects. There was talk of emigrating, to which Tomoe smiled tightly, and she nodded politely without contributing to the conversation. The native of Central had quickly learned that Ro was a hardliner in many aspects, she herself much feistier than her more placid husband, and she was smart as a whip.

They would cross paths again many years later, Tomoe's journeying taking her on a Northern trail, and Ro had spotted her in Tereré and nearly crashed into a tree upon spotting Tomoe. Ro received her a bit more warmly this time around, tentatively inviting her for a tea, and it was only after tuning into village gossip that she learned that Ro had undergone a massive transformation; widowed and working as a patroller, she had seen that the blonde had gained significant muscle and seemed to stand a bit taller than what she remembered. She was still skeptical of Tomoe but relented, speaking to her when they bumped into each other through the village. The true catalyst for Tomoe's involvement was when she had spotted Ro with a younger woman with ocean blue eyes that sported a similar patroller cloak. Tomoe's instinct flared within her as she realized that this girl was extraordinary and provoked something within her that she had not expected at all: the young woman, called Kamiya Kaoru, seemed to have a different energy about her as though she were blessed and cursed with the very cruel hands of fate.

Her wanderings and trials had led Tomoe to a very precarious situation in which she realized that history was about to repeat itself and there would be very little that could be done to impede destruction once more. Kaoru seemed to fit into the puzzle although her role was not fixed, something that endlessly frustrated Tomoe, and she felt the word 'loyalty' float around her conscious as she realized that Kaoru's existence was the vision of the young woman, also called Kaoru, that had been haunting her before her time in Tereré. She had been pulled to the village and had responded to the call, gracing the industrial town as she felt her stomach wretch at the conditions the Northerners had to deal with on a daily basis. Her conversation with Ro had confirmed that even someone close to the young woman could not confirm or deny Kamiya Kaoru's allegiance and Tomoe felt herself closing in on a dead-end that would either reveal a change in fate or close itself off to her.

Her meeting Kaoru had confirmed that the girl was a living example of suffering: without Kaoru having uttered a word, Tomoe could already see that the girl had lost nearly everything and her motivations for living were quite tangled and disjointed. There was a sense of resignation that permeated her energy and she seemed sullen and withdrawn as she strapped her weapon to her back. Tomoe had stared down blankly at her hand, as though she would be touching the devil herself, and refused to accept the kindly gesture. Kamiya Kaoru was standing right before her and the older woman could only speak to her in simple terms. As the other woman stared at her nervously, transmitting a sense of dread, she had taken a step away from Tomoe before Ro had interfered and reminded Tomoe that she and Kaoru had to get back to their patrol.

Ro's temperamental nature had sat poorly with Tomoe during their second encounter and her lingering threat of ripping Tomoe's mouth from her face if she approached Kaoru was something that Tomoe understood as plausible: the blonde knew of Tomoe and her reputation as being able to foresee the future and what it held for the individuals involved. Ro was actively protecting Kaoru but even the best intentions paved the way to hell and it was confirmed the evening of the Solstice when her brother finally struck from the shadows, dragging the Vestige forth from where he had been sealed within the body of the red-haired man who was called Kenshin. Tomoe had been caught between being whisked away by Enishi, his patience having worn thin, and observing how the Vestige had pierced Kanryuu with a mighty wave of thorns that erupted from the earth. Tomoe's confirmation that the red head was the Vestige was enough to remind her that fate had already been established and that this was an act-by-act course that would come crashing down soon enough.

Being dragged back to Central and barred from leaving the residence, she had found herself contemplating escape routes or the merits of trying to out manipulate her brother to at least slow the progress enough to give Kamiya Kaoru or the Vestige enough time to formulate a plan. She had been sworn by the fates herself to not interfere with the tapestry of life that destiny had already woven but even she could not resist the temptation as an observer to see how far she could extend their already borrowed time. She had lost track of the Vestige the evening of the massacre in Tereré, his existence vanishing just as the buildings in the industrial village had, and she was trying to sort through the unseen threads that fate had laid out but had little success. She had clarified to her brother that she would not participate in his ploys to capture the Vestige, knowing that it would not end the way he wished it to end, but she kept a careful eye on the situation as she slowly tried to tug on a strand of thread to see where it would lead.

It was all very frustrating for her and she found herself bidding for time, knowing that somewhere on a speeding train there was the same Kamiya Kaoru with the blue stare that would ultimately have her hand forced.

Indeed, _frustrating_ would be the word that Tomoe opted to use to describe the situation at hand.

* * *

"Tae isn't happy with you," Ro remarked as she glanced at Sanosuke over the rim of her cup, the warm liquid tea sloshing against her mouth. Megumi and Sanosuke were crowded onto Ro's beat-up sofa, sinking down in the middle, and she was perched on an arm chair with her legs folded beneath her. She had reached her quiet home and it was only a mere hour later that the banging on her door had clued her into Sanosuke's return from Nantia. He had also collected Megumi on the way to her home, the three of them glancing through the darkness to assure that they were not being watched, before retreating into the confines of Ro's home and shutting the door firmly.

"Who _is_ happy with him?"

"Oy," Sanosuke grumbled in warning as he shot both women a heated look. "Is that anyway to treat someone who just saw the Missy off to Central?" The vulpine doctor made a noise in her throat as she grasped the cup between her delicate hands, staring down at the reflection that glowered back at her with the same defeated expression.

"Well, she got on the train, _didn't_ she?"

"Yep," Sanosuke replied as he set his cup on the floor next to his feet as he leaned back in the sofa, destabilizing Megumi momentarily as she adjusted herself within the cushions. "Her and Yahiko." Sanosuke had debated the merits of mentioning Misao, given that Ro had met her in passing, but had decided against it to avoid bringing up any questions that he did not want to answer. He knew it was mildly deceitful on his behalf but he also figured that if Yahiko knew Misao significantly well, then she was of little threat to Kaoru en route to Central. They had agreed to Misao continuing her journey onwards to the South, even having gone as forcing her to buy a ticket, and if she ever came up in conversations upon Kaoru and Yahiko's return, he could just say it was a coincidence. To Sanosuke, it seemed to be the ideal plan; to Megumi and Ro, he might as well have lobbed Ro's axe through her window.

"Two weeks then," Ro said with a haggard sigh. "We have to work out a contingency plan: Tae is suspicious because, as far as she's concerned, Kaoru is still on sick leave."

"That's why Aoshi forged the medical papers excusing her from work," Megumi pointed out and Ro shook her head, her eyes narrowing at the recollection of the kindly woman wishing to visit Kaoru when things had settled down.

"Tae wants to come visit her and if she comes 'round and Kaoru's not here, there's going to be a lot of people in trouble," Ro explained sullenly as she took another drag of her tea. "Even if Aoshi is aware of what's going on, Tae speaks to a lot of people and there's a risk of rumours spreading around. We have to be super careful because there are still some loyalists to Enishi in our ranks, despite whatever happened to the village, and we don't want them to find out that she's skipped out and is on her way to Central." Ro's eyes slid over to lock with Sanosuke's, the rooster-haired patroller pulling a face at the conclusion that the blonde had reached.

"True," Megumi said softly.

"She'll be back before then, Kaoru's smart and can handle herself," Sanosuke said as he cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms above his head. "If she's smart, she'll talk to the people you told her to talk to, right? The Missy ain't going to do anything risky."

"Well, in any case, perhaps we need to speak to Aoshi about this?" Megumi proposed as she folded her hands on her knees. "He's not a loyalist as far as I'm aware and he is hardly about to swap sides to protect Enishi's interests." Sanosuke grunted at the mention of his Commander, hardly impressed with Megumi's suggestion to speak to an ally that could influence much more than they could, but he knew that the doctor was right in the sense that Aoshi could move mountains whereas they could only scale them. He was required to keep a certain number of patrollers on rotation, despite the situation in the village, and had been forced to accept people who were loyalists to Enishi and his government despite the fact Aoshi's personal politics seemed to stray in the opposite direction.

"I can do it tomorrow," Sanosuke grumbled. "Ain't happy about it, 'cause he's a pompous _bastard_ , but if it helps the Missy buy herself some time… I'll do it."

"Alright, good," Megumi said with a tired nod. "At this point, it's really just waiting for Kaoru to contact us—so we can only just sit tight and hope that everything's working well on her end."

"She'll be fine," Sanosuke said once again. "Kaoru's, if anything, resourceful: I'm sure she's going to find this Tomoe or whatever her name is and get some sort of answers. Plus the brat is with her—although, frankly, I don't know if he's fucking extra weight or someone she can count on." Sanosuke let out a light snarl between his gritted teeth as he ran another hand through his rooster-hair as he stared at the two other women who gave him irritated looks.

"It was the only logical alternative considering Enishi doesn't know what Yahiko looks like," Megumi pointed out reasonably. "Besides, if Ro trusts him…"

"He's not going to do her dirty or anything," Ro said defensively. "Lay off him, Sano, he's still a kid but he's no less capable than any of us." Sanosuke grumbled under his breath but Ro chose to ignore him as she drained her tea and set the cup on the table, her own eyes tired and seemingly defeated from the entire ordeal. Her double shifts on the routes were a killer and she knew that Sanosuke was probably just as tuckered out as she was having traveled to and returned from Nantia in less than forty-eight hours. The larger man was often apt at hiding his exhaustion from people who did not know him extremely well, but both Megumi and Ro were aware that he was fraying around the edges as he sunk into the sofa and rocked his head back and forth.

"I'm just worried 'bout the Missy," Sanosuke said gruffly. "She ain't ever been to Central—"

"—And neither have _you_ ," Megumi interrupted pointedly. "She's going to have to be a bit more cautious but she'll be fine."

"How do _you_ know?"

"I just _do_ ," Megumi insisted. Sanosuke gave her an incredulous look but snapped his jaw shut as he deduced it was easier just to avoid quarrelling with Megumi when she was in one of these ruts where she would not change her mind. The woman, as he knew, was viciously stubborn and she would grasp at the tiniest bits of an argument and turn them against him, shredding through what Sanosuke had perceived to be a plausible argument. She was sly as a fox and firmly rooted in her beliefs once committed to a certain idea.

"C'mon, bickering now isn't going to do anything," Ro murmured in annoyance as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "If anything, we need to cover our bases here and see if we can figure anything else out that may be of use. I'm just not sure where to start to be honest…"

"There are a lot of things to sort through," Megumi said in agreement as she brushed her hair from her face. "I guess we can continue to search for any information that might help. I don't think we're going to get very far though: no one seems to know anything about a so called _'Vestige'._ I could try looking in my family's records, but I don't know of how much use they could be."

"I checked the almanacs from Campozana and there wasn't anything either," Sanosuke said. "'Course, I could have missed something—we all know reading ain't my thing."

"Are we looking in the right places?" Ro's question caused them to go quiet.

"What do you mean?" Sanosuke enquired as he looked over at the blonde.

"I mean, we don't know how reliable written records are at this point and we know a lot of the written documents have been redacted by Central's censor board to the point they're unreadable," Ro said quietly. "I think we're looking at the wrong sources of information, you know?"

"Oh, I see," Megumi sighed as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "We should be… looking somewhere else, right? Elders?"

" _Maybe_ …" Ro trailed off as she continued to pinch the bridge of her nose, an apparent hint that she was growing stressed or frustrated with the slow progress they were making whilst their friend was risking her hide in Central. Their elders were a closed off group, only really coming out for ceremonial motives, and it was hard to summon a meeting with them unless there was good cause and a Delegation member present to ensure that all activity was conducted in conformity with the laws established by Central. With the fires and the overall chaos that had ripped through Tereré, the trio realized that their ideas were quickly being discarded as they found themselves reaching the limits of their creativity.

"We can think about it tomorrow," Megumi offered as she yawned behind her hand. "I'm fairly sure everyone is exhausted from today and we're not really getting anywhere with this conversation."

"Well, shit, Megumi, thought you'd never say so," Sanosuke drawled as he gave her a lazy half smile that was met with an icy stare. "I'mma head home, it's late and Tae is going to kick my ass tomorrow from the looks of it." The large fighter lumbered to his feet and stretched his long arms above his head as he yawned again, his sharpened canines flashing in the dim light of Ro's living room. The doctor sighed as she, too, rose to her feet and reached for her cloak, tugging it over her shoulders to fend off the night winds that rolled through the village.

"You can walk me home then," She said with a note of finality before turning to Ro and thanking her for the tea.

"No worries," Ro said dismissively. "We can regroup for tomorrow: I'm going to see if Tae lets me go out on my own again and I'm going to try poking around Route Zed—"

"—Whoa, _whoa!_ Route Zed?" Sanosuke interrupted. "You can't be out there alone, Ro, you know it ain't the best route to be caught on without backup!" The rooster-haired fighter was completely blown off guard by the blonde's off handed comment as she gave him another annoyed look that seemed to be hinting at the fact she did not appreciate him questioning her abilities to fend for herself.

"It's the place where Kaoru and I found that damned light-box," Ro protested as she held up her hands in defence. "I had been putting off going there because it's probably long since gone, but if there's even a chance of being able to find it, I want to go back and see…" Sanosuke's face lit up in recognition of the mention of the light box whilst Megumi's clouded over with what looked to be a storm of questions. Ro quickly explained to her what had happened to Kaoru and herself months prior when they were out patrolling Route Zed and the doctor's mouth dropped open in shock at the thought of Kaoru breaking the one rule even those outside their profession knew not to breach.

"Oh, for the love of everything holy, _that girl_!" Megumi hissed as she bunched the sleeve of her cloak as her hand formed a fist. "How could she have been so impulsive?"

"What's done's done," Sanosuke snapped at the doctor as he glowered down at her. "But Ro's got a point: maybe there's something there? Not sure of the connection, but I saw the light when it came down into the village after you two touched—"

"—Excuse me, _I_ did _not_ touch it," Ro growled. "I was against it."

"—After _the Missy_ touched it," Sanosuke corrected, "And maybe there's something that can be useful… but that's a stretch. Too much time has passed."

"We don't have anything else to go off of," Megumi said as she released her vice-like grip on her cloak and rested her hands on her hips. "It's worth a shot, however slim the change is, right? We're on a tight schedule and we have to at least have something on the back burner for when Kaoru contacts us."

"I don't mind doing it alone," Ro volunteered slyly. "It avoids people asking questions, you know? Well, more than necessary."

"Yeah, but it's fucking dangerous to do that route alone and you know that," Sanosuke retorted. "I'll talk to Tae in the mornin' and see if she'll let me go with ya." Ro made a strangled noise, still slightly miffed at his accusation that she was unable to handle herself, but she relented as she gave him an annoyed look and crossed her arms. She would have been more than thrilled to give Sanosuke a schooling in her close combat skills with the legendary pick-axe that had built up her reputation as a formidable fighter. She had never squared off against him and had found herself wondering how she would hold up against someone with much more experience.

"Fine," She settled for as she turned to Megumi, "I don't know how you put up with him."

"I don't, _that's_ why I moved to Central," Megumi replied with a teasing tone to her velvet-soft voice. "There's a sort of method to my madness when dealing with him." Sanosuke grunted in response again, not willing to loop himself into a two-on-one gang-up and moved towards the front door, yanking it open with a firm tug.

"Let's go, fox, or you can walk yourself home," He said gruffly, to which Megumi waved a cheeky wave to Ro, promising that she would try to scour her family's records or see if she could at least pick up some other lead. Ro gave her a cracked smile, not quite reaching her eyes, closing the door on the pair that seemed embroiled in their own personal spat that seemed to have taken off on her doorstep.

* * *

Kaoru, if prompted to respond to if she believed that she would be holding a pistol and moving towards the back of a speeding train, would have laughed it off and said that it was a ridiculous notion. She herself had been humbled many times in her short time on Earth and this was one of those times: having left her village behind, using a forbidden weapon, and facing off against a dangerous vizinho without her trusty partner by her side. She grit her teeth as they watched the passengers part the way for the team of volunteers, those bringing up the rear shouting for the others to start moving to the front of the train.

Yahiko was firmly glued to her side as he supported her momentum, keeping pace with her as they stepped towards the last car where they knew they would find a door that would open to the outside, exposing them to the danger of open air. The young fighter's arm was securely fastened around Kaoru's waist as they nodded tiredly at the gawking passengers who scrambled to give them as wide a berth as possible, reacting to the orders being barked at them. Kaoru knew that this was the crucial moment that she herself could not afford to slip up or there would be much more dire consequences than just her own life being snatched away from her.

"This is the last one," Yahiko said under his breath, looking over at Kaoru out of the corner of his eye.

"Great," Kaoru replied in a tired tone.

Yahiko looked back at the others behind them, filing down the aisle of the train car in a neat fashion to the point it was comical given the grave nature of the situation. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to assess what roles he could assign to each one: he needed at least another two pairs of strong arms to hold and intercept Kaoru from the kick back of Megumi's weapon, he needed another to keep an eye on the monster of a creature that was still lingering behind them, and he needed at least two or three to be ready to run down the length of the train to communicate any sort of message that was needed. He found it ridiculous that Kaoru was the more experienced of the two and yet he was the one delegating roles to those brave enough to attempt to provide some sort of support. He also knew that there hands were also tied because they were heavily dependant on Soujirou's ability to slow the train well enough to give Kaoru the best conditions possible to lash out and strike.

"Open that door," Yahiko said to one of the men who seemed unsure as to what his purpose was, to which the young passenger stepped forward and wrapped tried to push the door open. The door gave way, opening outwards and exposing the trail of train tracks that the train was gobbling up as well as the quickly shifting landscape. They caught sight of the beast trailing them behind, limping in its lengthy stride, and Kaoru knew immediately that if she could hit it in the right place, she'd been able to neutralize the threat and let the train make its necessary escape.

"The door's a problem," Kaoru pointed out as she watched how it swung about, refusing to stay stationary. "It's going to be hard to do anything if I can't get a clear shot."

" _Close it_!" Yahiko barked at the same guy who moved around him and Kaoru, reaching out into the unprotected environment of the open tracks and quickly snatching the handle, pulling it shut. He wobbled dangerously on the edge as the train swayed beneath their feet and he scurried away as soon as the door was securely locked once more, seating himself on one of the abandoned benches as he blinked dumbly. The group all gulped collectively, they themselves oddly taken aback by something so obvious that they had overlooked in their hast to make it to the end of the train.

"Now what?" One of the other men asked.

"We have to get the door off," Kaoru stated calmly.

"If we try to kick it out we could fall," The man who had originally pushed it open pointed out with a concerned look. "I'm not about to do that… sorry." Kaoru shook her head, not sure if she was sympathetic to his excuse or trying to dispel other expectations from her mind. She glowered at the door with her icy blue stare, she herself unsure as to how to safely detach the door without anyone risking a nasty and potentially fatal fall to the tracks.

"Well, if you kick right above where the lock is, that's usually the weakest part of the door," Kaoru said quietly as she stared at the door and studied it. It was not a particularly well constructed door, Central's lack of investments and shoddy construction an easy target to blame. She had been taught how to kick in a door by Sanosuke when they had accidentally been trapped within one of the auxiliary buildings in her first three months as a patroller. She had nearly broken her foot but Sanosuke had quickly forced her to stop and to consider his words as he guided her step by step how to kick in with her dominant foot and drive the heel of her other foot into the ground. She knew that she had to keep her body upward and to avoid leaning into the kick, upping her chances of falling forward and down towards the tracks.

 _"You have to kick it with a flat foot, Missy_ ," Sanosuke drawled as she arched her foot, poised to kick. _"Also, bend your leg: you're going to fuck it up otherwise."_ He was grinning at her, amused by her attempt to nearly break her limbs. He was standing behind her a safe distance, allowing her to gauge what she needed to do, but he knew that the younger woman would try to tear the door apart if she grew irate enough. Kaoru made a strangled noise in her throat but bent her leg at the knee, flattening her foot so it was a singular surface. Successfully kicking in the door, a satisfying splintering noise echoing through the building, she kept her foot held in position as she blinked, studying her work.

" _Not bad_ ," Sanosuke remarked as the door fell forward to the ground, freeing them to the cold outdoors before patting her teasingly on the head, striding by her as he left her behind in the auxiliary building. " _Now you won't fall, Missy. Just gotta do it right."_

"You won't fall," Kaoru spoke as she was dragged back to the unfortunate present.

"Then you do it," One of the men snapped as they looked at her with a wariness that was not dissimilar to that of prey animals. "If you're so convinced." Kaoru was taken aback, having previously thought that these men would be of assistance to her, and she felt Yahiko's fingers sinking into her inner arm as he tensed up at the man's reaction.

"She's the one—"

"— _I'll do it_ ," Kaoru cut it sharply as she wheezed. "If you won't, I _will_ —but only because there are others counting on me to not screw this up." Yahiko's brows shot up in disbelief as the patroller stood a bit taller, her bobbed hair framing a determined face that was alive with something that stirred below her. Something had awoken within the woman, something that was rearing its head as her azure stare hardened. When he had heard her calling out Kenshin's name as she fell from the top of the train, he had watched as something crept over her and she seemed to relax, accepting the ground as it rushed up to meet her.

" _Kaoru!_ " Yahiko hissed.

"Damnit, Yahiko, what else am I supposed to do?" She snarled as the younger boy cringed away from her. "We're wasting time we don't have!" The roar of the train accompanied her begrudging awareness that they were inching closer and closer to losing their slight advantage and Kaoru was hardly impressed with that fact: her eyes steeled even more in the shifts of light as she gripped the pistol fiercely.

"I'll hold you," One of the men said gruffly as he rose to his feet. He was an older man, but Kaoru could not determine how old he was, and he was dressed in clothes from a village further to the South than Tereré. His ragged appearance, complemented with well defined biceps, would enter into the realm of intimidating as he seemingly lingered behind the rest of the group. "You won't fall, but it's not the best of ideas."

"None of this has been a great idea," Another one of the men pointed out meekly, earning hard stares from the rest of the group. Shrugging at their almost hostile reaction, he quickly silenced himself as he shuffled from foot to foot.

"When are they supposed to start braking the train?"

"Dunno, but I hope it's soon—this is too damned risky," Another one of the group muttered as he ran a hand through his mop of shaggy hair.

"It's all about the timing," Kaoru interjected tiredly as she gave them hawk-like stares, bracing herself against one of the sets as she gently inserted two bullets into the chamber, replacing the precious ones that she had already spent. Sanosuke and Megumi had done their best to give her as many tools as possible, but it was nearly impossible to obtain the right size and shape of bullets. Sanosuke had procured them from his contacts in the underbelly, much to Kaoru's annoyance, and had warned her that she had better spend them wisely for various reasons.

"You ready to bust down that door, little lady?" The older man asked as he approached Kaoru, his dark eyes flashing and making her hesitate for a moment as she considered him and his appearance with her own hard stare. He stood a healthy distance away; close enough to comply with her actions and far enough away to retreat if she rejected his offer. Kaoru knew, judging by his build and garments, he was more than likely some sort of labourer whose strength was his ticket to employment. Nodding at him briskly, she watched as Yahiko stepped back and the older man stepped forward, awaiting her instructions.

"I think if you hold me around the waist and pick me up, I can kick it open and off the hinges," She explained quickly as she inspected the door. "They aren't very strong from the looks of them." Kaoru sent a small prayer upwards that the lack of maintenance on the train was a favourable advantage in her court, knowing that the hinges were more than likely rusted and worn down from traveling brutal roots to the North. The unforgiving climate and conditions would be enough to render the metals weaker after a few years of use and judging by the looks of the train, it was significantly older.

"By the waist, huh?" He mumbled as he watched as she moved towards him, allowing him access to lift her upwards. She quickly shoved the pistol into Yahiko's hands, much to his shock, and adjusted her cloaks so that they would not get caught up in anything. "You're sure?"

"Not much of any alternatives," Another one of the men reminded them.

"Yes, I'm sure," She replied tersely. She felt the strong arms of the man heft her upwards, wrapping around her securely. It was much different from the calm and gentle embraces she had received from Kenshin: there was something truly powerful and almost feral to the mass strength of this apparent day labourer. Kaoru loosened her body as they slowly worked their way towards the door once again, her leg being pulled up into position as she flattened her foot and bent her leg like a spring-loaded mechanism.

"Ready?"

" _Yep_ ," She murmured as the other men parted to the side, the majority huddling around the windows as they watched in bemused horror as the giant man and the tiny woman angled themselves before the door. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered Sanosuke's brief instruction on how to kick the door off its hinges, she herself unsure as to if one well placed kick would be enough, but she braced herself as her muscles tightened. Drawing in her left foot as tightly as she could, she released it with a grunt as her foot made contact against the door, the hinges squeaking and a metallic noise cutting through the air. The door was forced open once again, the tracks eating up the ground beneath them, and the door burst open to the ground—much to the group and Kaoru's surprise.

"Damn," One of the men mumbled.

"Now what?"

"They have to brake the train enough for us to get a close enough shot," Yahiko reminded them in a harsh voice. He knew that the young man who had taken offence to Yahiko not using his name was leading that group and yet they were still investing their blind trust into a man who they literally met on the moment. Kaoru and the larger man were still joined together, Kaoru's eyes wide with disbelief at her strength at kicking in the door. She was nearly limp in his arms as he hauled them away from the threat of the open door lest they hit a harsh bump and sent themselves tumbling out the very hole they had just opened.

"You alright, little lady?"

"Y-yeah," She stammered as she felt him lower her to the ground, the balls of her feet hitting the uneven surface first as she slowly felt her blood begin to circulate once more. She stood to her full height, a pittance next to the massive man, and quietly accepted the pistol from Yahiko. Brushing a strand of hair from her face, she exhaled as she stared out through the opening in the train, the landscape, tracks, sky, and everything whizzing in somesort of bizarre reverse tunnel from which there was no immediate escape. The black vizinho was surging forward, its stride still significantly stronger than she would have liked, and its long tail streamed behind it like a ragged banner in the harsh winds.

"Damn, he's a fast bastard," The older man grunted as he herded Kaoru a bit further back while she recuperated from her experience. "You managed to get a shot on him, little lady?" She nodded dully, to which he made a guttural noise of approval. The great beast was still raging in pain and seemed much more frenzied than it had been before—the only reprieve is it had ceased attacking the train and the passengers—and it moved erratically as it was unable to maintain a straight-line path. Kaoru found it odd, counting its pace under her breath as she tried to remeasure the distance it was covering relative to the metallic steed.

"Whadda think?" Yahiko enquired as he looked over at Kaoru.

"We need to slow down, definitely," She replied steadily as she continued her counting.

"Where are you aiming for?"

"The legs," Kaoru answered as she glanced up at the taller man.

"Are you _sure_?" She felt her muscles freeze at his enquiry and she saw how his gaze had hardened, the darker than black pupils void of emotion as they gazed at her expectantly. "The legs? That's hardly fatal."

"I just want to stop it, not necessarily kill it," Kaoru protested as she felt a surge of guilt at the mere thought of killing the vizinho. "As long as we can get away, it's enough."

"Is _it,_ little lady?" He tilted his head as the rest of the men gathered around them nervously, Yahiko's fists furling and unfurling as his jaw unhinged. "You're obviously quite good with weapons—from one patroller to another, you realize that we're going against our oath to protect human life if you do not eliminate it, correct?" Kaoru's eyes widened at the revelation that he, too, was a patroller and she suddenly understood the physique and why he was seemingly so calm in the situation whilst the others were chattering and stumbling about nervously. He was the reed in the storm that would bend but not snap, as patrollers were broken into do by their commanding officers, and she found conflicted feelings of mistrust and relief.

"You're a patroller," She said flatly.

"Indeed, I'm from Aimer," He replied as he saluted her out of respect. Kaoru found herself saluting him back on principle, straightening her back a bit more than she had realized she was capable of doing. "I'm from the first brigade of patrollers."

"I'm from Tereré," Kaoru offered tentatively as she lowered her hand from the snappy salute. "My name is Kaoru."

"Hiko," He replied like-wise although seemingly tense. "I'd never expect to see one of your lot here, but then again, this world is full of surprises, isn't it?" Kaoru eyed him warily as he sized her up, seemingly in disbelief that such a small woman was wielding such a potent tool and had been the one running on the tops of the train wagons. He had seen them burst through his passenger carriage, unconvinced that their actions would amount to anything, and he himself had been contemplating his own plan of attack. Latching onto what had to be the luckiest woman in the world from being pulled from the jowls of death, Hiko was fairly certain that this was either some complex fantasy or reality was truly stranger than fiction.

"As one patroller to another, _you and I_ have taken oath to protect our kind," He reminded her as the train shook and shuddered. "Do you believe letting it live is the most viable alternative in this situation?" Kaoru was taken aback by his recast of his previous question and she bit her lip nervously. He was correct: all patrollers were sworn under the laws of Central to ensure that humanity was prosperous and was not forced to the ground in defeat by the other side and its demons. When she had signed away her name and her freedoms to chose who lived and who died under the binding promise to ensure her village would never become ensnared in another war, she had felt conflicted as her heart tore into pieces. She had been left with one lingering question and doubt that had existed in the back of her mind ever since she had picked up the sword.

"Or am I mistaken?"

"Hey, just who do you think—" Hiko's eyes slid to glare at Yahiko, making the young Southerner stop short as he snapped his mouth shut and cowered under the presence that this large man emitted. Kaoru wanted to reach out to Yahiko and reassure him, but even she was lacking the words to do so as she did not wish to get caught in the trap of his controlled temper. There was something that set her hairs on edge as she shivered beneath such scrutinizing eyes and she swallowed deeply as she contemplated his answer. There were flashes of crimson and violet eyes that haunted her and she knew he would disapprove of her actions, despite the best intentions behind her actions, and snapped to attention as she found herself truly rooted in a deep seat of doubt as to if what she was doing was right or not.

" _Well,_ little lady?"

"As a patroller, yes, you're right—I am sworn to an oath under Central and the state to protect humanity from any danger to our well being," Kaoru relented slowly as she traced her fingers over the metal grooves in the pistol. "I signed my life and sense of duty over to the state the very day that I swore before the Delegation that I would ensure humanity's preservation.

"However," She continued as she trailed off, collecting her words and thoughts momentarily as she cast her gaze outside towards the black beast that was still pursuing after them, "As of _now_ , I am not on an official mission and I am far outside of my village's district. This means that my role as a judge to sentence execution or to continue life is my decision alone and I am not…. controlled by Central's orders." She felt the back of her throat burn at such words, knowing they went against the more Conservative values of fellow patrollers and it was nearly taboo to utter such things in the presence of unknown company who may not share the same values and beliefs.

"So you have chosen life." Hiko's statement was plainly factual.

"I have no reason to kill it if it's just enough to get it away from us," Kaoru replied steadily as she found the last reserves of confidence to stand up to Hiko. "If anything, we're probably at fault for it acting like this! I don't want to take it out if I don't have to…" Her voice silenced as Hiko's gaze was like a stone wall that crashed over her, his hand rising as though he were moving to strike her—instead, the same hand came to rest on her slender shoulder and gripped it firmly.

"I've seen many patrollers in my day yet you're one of the first that is not committed to blind massacre and slaughter," He grunted as he glowered down at her. "Which, in its defect, brands you as a traitor to the state, doesn't it?" Kaoru was unmoving as she lifted her chin proudly and glowered back at him, her own azure eyes awakening once again with a renewed sense of justice as she silently established her position and thoughts on the issue at hand.

"It does," She readily agreed. "It's grounds for execution."

"You're aware of the consequences of your words and actions?" Hiko interrogated as his voice rose in volume. "Knowing that the result is certain death if you're brought before a court in Central?"

"Yes," She answered simply. "I already signed my life away when I took the oath. Death is the only constant in this profession after all—you would know that as well." Kaoru's fingers ceased tracing the metal patterns on the pistol as she switched it to one hand and held it loosely at her side. "However swearing an oath to the very state that burned my village and its people to the ground is something that I cannot stand for: whatever actions I am taking are my own agenda, not Central's. If you're going to stop me, it's within your right as a fellow patroller, I will not resist." She felt his fingers pressing deeper into her flesh and she grimaced at gesture.

"You're foolish not to fear death, little lady," Hiko growled as his hand slid up to her neck, Yahiko shouting as Hiko's fingers moved to constrict her delicate throat, the side of his hand brushing against the bobbed ends of Kaoru's hair. "For such behaviour, I am obligated to correct you under our constitution as patrollers.

"However," He continued as his fingers dropped away from her neck and returned his side as he gave her a deep nod, "I, too, am out of my village's district and am not on orders from my Delegation. I have little reason to exercise my duties." Kaoru's face morphed into a mix of flurried emotions as she tried to understand what the giant of a man was hinting at but her thoughts were interrupted as the train lurched, sending all the standing men and Yahiko flying about, the screeching sound of brakes painting the tense atmosphere with an abrupt reminder that they were compromising their already limited time with useless discussion. They felt the train's speed dropping gradually, the trees slowing as the tracks formed into cohesive shapes as opposed to a consistent blur.

"Looks like they managed to get the brakes," The original man who refused to help Kaoru spoke as he sent a nervous glance towards the door, seeing how the canine vizinho was making up ground as it ate up the distance despite its gushing wounds leaving a dire trail in its wake. Kaoru, Hiko, and Yahiko scrambled towards the door, peering out at the beast as it roared and snarled, its fangs gnashing as it powered towards them. The train's slowing and the recovered distance prompted Kaoru to push aside Hiko and his heavy handed accusations, she herself standing in the doorway as she braced herself and lifted the cursed pistol.

"Yahiko, get ready to get everyone back in case I miss," Kaoru hissed as she narrowed her eyes, focusing through the scope as she trained the pistol on the vizinho's front legs, aiming for an artery that would cause enough damage to allow them to draw away towards safer grounds. Huffing as she heard the young boy scrambling in the background, she could only imagine that he was shouting out orders that were blocked by the world that rushed over her. Her arms were shaky as she tried to steady her hold on the weapon, but the combined movements of the train and her nerves were getting the better of her as she struggled to recentre her focus.

The intense years of training, the constant encouragement from Ro and Sanosuke, Megumi's ridiculing of a woman being a patroller, the blood and tears, the suffering, the blisters on her hands, and everything in-between: there was something harsh that she could not shake from her existence in that very moment. The very act of defiance, the attempt to protect those who were never desiring to involve themselves in this world, the abrupt erasing of the line between the two plains— Kaoru felt the weight of the world on her shoulders as she swallowed deeply, attempting to assuage her frayed nerves. The years of exercising her profession had never left her in such a state and she herself could not drum up an answer as to why she was riddled with such anxiety.

A sudden weigh against her singled that someone had approached her from behind and she felt a much longer arm come up the outside of hers and steady her, another hand wrapping securely around her waist. Without having to turn, she realized that it was Hiko holding her in place as he carefully coaxed her arm to steady itself. His hair dusted against her cheek as he leaned in and peered down the weapon, his much more imposing form melting to hers as they temporarily fused into a force that was to be reckoned with if faced together in combat.

"You're shaking, girl," He grunted and Kaoru could feel the disapproval in his voice. "You only get one chance." His guidance and stiff muscles eased the shaking of Kaoru's arms and body as she felt the world suddenly collide together and everything would be alright: she was being supported, literally and figuratively, by a band of strangers that also saw the value in attempting to take a stance despite their varied backgrounds, origins, dialects, and customs. There was something noble to such a seemingly simple act and she felt the tenseness slip away into nothing as she righted herself and leaned back into Hiko, the stronger male's presence a balm on the open wound of self doubt and self imposed conviction that she had allowed herself to be swallowed into on this journey.

"Ready?"

"I think so," She answered, her voice carried by the winds that whipped through the open hole that she had created.

"You have to be _sure_ ," Hiko remarked, to which Kaoru finally looked out of the corner of her eye to stare at the older man that was still focused on their black canine target. "You have to be damned sure because there's a lot on the line." Kaoru was silent as she took in his words and processed them as though they were gospel: she knew that Hiko was absolutely correct in his standing and his gruff retort to her still lingering uncertainty was merited in his eyes. She could tell that he was experienced and had been a patroller long enough to have worked up an intolerance for cowards and those who took too long to make decisions. There was a certain wisdom that came with such a long career in a gruelling field and she was sure he had the scars and the stories to back up his manner of handling the situation.

"I'm sure," She said firmly as Hiko's fingers dug into her waist, securing her into place to anticipate the blow back from shooting the pistol. His other hand raised and he, too, helped to anchor his hold onto the pistol. It was a silent yet surprising gesture from the more experienced patroller and Kaoru felt a sudden influx of confidence wash over her. He was agreeing to help her, shouldering a part of the responsibility and the task, ensuring that she was not the only one executing a sentence in a territory that was as murky as the Tereré sky.

"On three," He commanded, his tone slipping into one of a gnarled instructor.

"One.."

"Two…"

" _Three—_ " They both called out together as their hands moved in unison, fingers pulling the trigger as the small yet mighty weapon burst into life, the bullet streaming from the narrow barrel as it cut through the air en route to the desired target. The world slowed and swayed as Kaoru, Hiko, Yahiko, and everyone else's eyes watched in pending suspicion to see if their harebrained idea was truly their salvation or their casting to the underworld if they were to fall prey to the raging animal. Kaoru felt her back hit the strong plain of muscle of Hiko's chest and their arms were still supporting the weapon as they both inhaled, releasing breathes that they did not realize they had been holding until that very moment. The train seemed to slow even more as they watched the beast stagger forward a few more paces before the bullet hit its mark, striking the juncture of its muscles and tendons.

The great dog beast howled angrily as it stumbled a few more strides before it collapsed forward, its long legs sprawling before it in a pathetic display. Its streaming tail ceased to flap like a banner in the wind as its red eyes glowered angrily at the train that pulled away from them, fangs gnashing together as its large tongue unfurled from its mouth. Kaoru could see it bleeding from its mouth and from the bullet hole that was hidden by its thick shaggy fur, but she knew that it was rendered immobile. Her heart felt pain for the beast, unsure as if to feel relieved or to pity such an act committed on a great vizinho from the other plain.

A loud whoop erupted from the inside of the wagon as the men gathered around the crouching forms of Hiko and Kaoru, both not having realized that they had retreated to the ground to soften the impact, and there were hands petting her on the shoulders and words that she could not make sense of as she blinked numbly. Yahiko bent down next to her as he gave her a wide smile, saying something about how even Ugly could be awesome and not just a stick in the mud. Kaoru nodded at him hesitantly, not really paying heed to his words, and she felt her chest lighten as the train drew away from the fallen canine creature.

"Not bad, little lady," Hiko complimented as he released his hold on her but did not rise to his feet. His hand dropped from hers and he rested it on the ground next to him. "Although I can tell you're more fond of swords than firearms." Kaoru jutted her head to that comment, whirling around to face him with a bewildered expression but it was interrupted as she heard cheering and calls of happiness and relief spill out into the air around the train.

"They're cheering for you," One of the men pointed out as he crushed his hat on his head, giving her a sheepish smile. "Nice job!" Kaoru felt someone haul her to her feet, sure it was Yahiko, and he pushed her towards the window and prompted for her to stick her head out. All along the length of the train were people's heads popping out and a few had even gathered on the rickety platform between cars. They were all cheering, waving, and hollering in delight as the train sped up and its whistle blew, celebrating a renewed chance at life. Kaoru even spotted the woman with the small baby, a fraction of a smile on her weary face; Misao was dangling dangerously from one of the platforms between the trains, waving and cheering that the plan had been pulled off and that they were to live another day. Kaoru sighed as she drew back into the confines of the wagon, meeting Hiko's iron stare as he regarded how she held the pistol firmly between two hands.

"Maybe I underestimated a little lady from the North," Hiko grumbled as he extended his hand forward, to which Kaoru unwrapped one hand from the pistol and accepted. Their firm handshake was enough to establish a connection, a bond that drew them together by cruel intentions engineered by fate, but it was enough as they recognized the ally within each other in a mere encounter.

* * *

The wind blew over the reeds and willows of the pools of water and Kenshin looked up, his eyes squinting as the sky seemed a bit brighter and bluer. The energy and the mal-ease he had been feeling and trying to channel away from him seemingly vanished into thin air. His violet eyes, shaded by his hands, widened at the realization that whatever Miss. Kamiya had been doing had been pulled off successfully.

"My boy, what are you looking at?" Pops' voice drifted over the expanse of landscape as he watched Kenshin from the patio of his humble abode. Pops was clutching onto a collection of glass jars that he would later fill with whatever plants or reeds he was collecting. The older man was donning a simple white shirt, already stained with sweat, but his hair was pulled up into a neat knot. Kenshin's gaze drifted over towards his caretaker and he gave him a light smile.

"This one feels that the circumstances have changed," Kenshin allowed himself to say. He had spoken to Pops about the vision of Miss. Kamiya, to which the old man had taken note and nodded seriously at Kenshin's hurried explanation. Kenshin appreciated that the old man holding paternal custody over him took everything respectfully and never once questioned what Kenshin had seen within the third eye of his mind. Pops even went as far as suggesting possible interpretations to his visions, citing a few concrete details that were commonly interpreted symbols amongst humankind. The old man was free of any judgement, he himself slyly telling the redhead he was not one to pass judgement on anyone, and that the redhead should take the liberty of speaking freely.

"Is that so?"

"This one believes that Miss. Kamiya has been successful, that she has," Kenshin remarked as he turned to completely face the old man. Having seen her alive and well, if not a bit haggard, had been a welcomed reprieve from his worry about her. Despite their encounter being a creation of their minds, having held her in his embrace had been real enough to suffice for the moment and he knew that she would be well. The forest, the trees, and the water had stopped shrieking and had returned to a smug like purr that calmed his inner torment that could not evade its rumbling.

"I'm sure that whatever she is doing has its purpose," Pops said as he set the jars down on the edge of the balcony and folded his arms behind his back, adopting a sage-like position. "The best thing you can do is support her through whatever bond you two may be sharing. The world and the other side is a lonely place: you can be surrounded by millions yet never feel more abandoned. Miss. Kamiya surely finds solace in your presence."

To that Kenshin smiled as he looked away, letting the sunshine warm his back as he extended his arms outward to bask in the warmth once again.

* * *

Hello! A rare update within the same month! :D Colour me surprised! Additionally, I've left a bonus in my profile; I've compiled a Spotify playlist for Vestige and included most of the songs that have been used for inspiration for this story. Please find the link for it in the 'currently working on' section! You'll see that it's an odd mix of music: there's Celtic, Argentinean folkclore, songs from other OSTs, Europop, instrumentals, and a lot more.


	27. Chapter 27

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XXVII

A Capital, Built on Water

"May your journey overflow with new journeys and new sights."

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

* * *

Central's train station was impressive if not poorly tended to: the impressive metal work bent into swirls littered with metallic roses and weeping bellflowers rose up to form an imposing cover over the fifteen sets of tracks that converged into the main hall. There were beautiful stained windows that depicted typical scenery from the four cardinal civilizations that lined the hall, sunlight streaming in through their painted facades. There were a variety of trains that were dumping passengers or accepting them: many eyes taking in the horror of what was the train that had arrived from Nantia as people murmured about why the train's wagons were dents in the sides and the broken windows.

Capital residents were well dressed individuals: cottons and wools being the dominant material and silk accents woven into women's hair or around men's necks. Floral patterns seemed to be a standard amongst the ladies who inhabited the core of their country, large pink, blue, or yellow flowers printed onto their skirts or blouses. Women wore delicate flats that cradled their tiny feet, their hairs were fashioned into complex styles that seemed to require too much effort, and their faces were painted with accents lining their eyes and lips. The men were dressed in tasteful pants and shirts, their colours ranging from deep maroon to black to white, and they sported practical shoes that adapted to city life.

Kaoru, Misao, and Yahiko felt sorely out of place: Misao and Yahiko donning their Southern clothes that seemed to billow more freely whereas Kaoru had shed her cloak and folded it over her arm, exposing her form fitting black pants and loose white shirt. They wore muted colours that clashed with the vibrance of the capital's palettes and they each felt a bit uneasy with regards to the occasional look that was thrown their way. Kaoru had opted to roll up the sleeves of her shirt, the head of Central's plain getting to her, and Misao had unbuttoned a few buttons to attempt to cool herself down.

The rest of the the ride had been uneventful: Kaoru and Hiko had stayed put in the last wagon as Misao and Yahiko made their rounds through the other cabins to check on the passengers. A profuse outpouring of thanks, congratulations, and laughs and pats on the back had greeted Kaoru as a few of the braver passengers made their way to the back carriage to see their so-called saviours. Kaoru accepted them uneasily, a smile that did not quite reach her eyes plastered on her face, and it had taken Hiko barking at them to leave her alone for the other passengers to retreat back into the confines of the other carriages to enjoy the rest of their ride to Central. Kaoru had given him a solid nod of appreciation, answering his questions sparingly as she struggled to keep her eyes open as her world caught up with the situation and the adrenaline faded away into nothingness.

Misao and Yahiko managed to locate the whereabouts of the engineers, conductors, and other workers on the railroad: they had huddled into the front of the train and shut themselves in prior to Soujirou and his band of passengers making their way to the front. Misao and Yahiko had found all the rail workers with a smattering of bruises and split lips, indicating that there had been some sort of conflict to break into the heart of the train in order to access the brakes. When interrogated by Misao, they revealed that they had crowded together because they were unsure as to handle the situation and they decided to prioritize their own safety over that of their passengers. One had even gone as far as to confess that they had been tempted to release the safety on a trigger that would had detached all the passenger cars from the train if the situation was grave enough. This earned a swift kick from Misao in the shin of the engineer that had spoken, his whimpering pathetic as she crossed her arms and gave him an unsavoury look.

Soujirou and the other passengers that had banded together to try and slow the train had taken control of the brakes while they had one of the lower ranked workers shovel coal into the train to speed it up once they had cleared the danger. The young man had given Misao and Yahiko an off-putting smile, suggesting that he had no qualms about resorting to more unorthodox tactics to achieve the desire results. Soujirou was covered in a thin film of filth from the train but seemed pleased with his work, only letting the lower men on the totem pole of the railway to control the speed of the mighty machine. It had been a consensual decision to relinquish control back to those who knew how to drive the actual train but it had taken some skillful convincing on Misao's part to get the engineers and conductors untied.

As the train pulled into the penultimate station, Hiko moved to collect his ragged sack and shrugged it over his massive shoulders. Kaoru watched him tiredly as he reapproached her and rested his giant hands on her shoulders, giving her a stern nod of approval. They had conversed in the privacy of the carriage, Hiko's shooing of other passengers away offering them a rare chance at privacy, and Kaoru related to him the stories of what had occurred in her native village, the increase of vizinhos and their aggression towards humans, and skirted around the details that pertained to Kenshin. Hiko had listened attentively, unsurprised by Central's actions and Enishi's path of destruction, and told her that this was not the first time a village had been burned to the ground on a whim.

Hiko told her of countless small villages, too small to even be a dot on the map, that were once populated by sympathizers or neutrals: " _Txarango, Bristolia, Aarlburgh—they were all wiped out by fire set by Enishi's police."_ The older patroller recounted how he and others would come across the burned out carcasses of villages, human remains, and charred buildings during their wider-range patrollers that took them to the far regions of Aimer's legal boundaries. It was a common tactic that Central seemed to rely on in order to achieve quick results that would literally smoke out those who were opposed to his command or those who he deemed a threat to Central and the country's prosperity.

 _"But burning Tereré is odd within itself,_ " Hiko remarked as he reached into his sack and fished out what looked to be a flask. Opening it with a grunt, he dumped some of the contents into his mouth before offering it to Kaoru, who politely declined his version of hospitality. " _It's one thing if it's a village that doesn't contribute much to the country… but Tereré is needed for its manufacturing. Why would he attack such a necessary village? That's almost shooting himself in the foot."_ Kaoru's gaze shifted to stare out the window, the expansive plains seeming to stretch out infinitively towards a horizon. She was still unused to the sunlight and had marvelled in it as the train chugged towards Central.

 _"What do you know of something called 'the Vestige'?_ " Kaoru asked as her solemn gaze met his, his dark eyes widening momentarily in recognition of the word, the flask slipping from his grip as it dropped to the floor and spilled the foul smelling alcohol over the floor. Hiko's reaction was indicative enough to Kaoru to hint at the fact the man knew something regarding whatever Kenshin was and she took the executive decision to omit her knowing and having cohabited with the so-called Vestige for an extended period of time. Deftly lying and saying that she had overheard it via the village gossip, Hiko's gaze hardened as he sank down onto one of the bench seats as he tried _to wrangle with her enquiry._

 _"Do you know what the word Vestige means?"_ Hiko asked in a flat tone, to which Kaoru shook her head, the absence of the word from her vocabulary mildly preoccupying. " _It means something that is disappearing or no longer exists, in plain words. Something that exists in such small traces that we could indeed consider it extinct."_ His words were carefully constructed as to avoid overcomplicating his explanation and Kaoru leaned forward in her seat, watching Hiko intently while waiting for him to continue his explanation.

 _"This is, of course, heresy from what I and other patrollers have picked up over the years of patrolling and have passed down amongst ourselves and via those who have travelled through my region… so it could be complete bullshit and we wouldn't know any better,"_ Hiko continued as he reached for his now empty flask and returned it to its safe confines within his sack. _"Some say the Vestige is the nexus of humanity, the missing link. No one really knows how it came to be, how it fits into this puzzle of humanity versus the other side—it's just rumours. If you're a believer in the old ways, maybe you'd think he was the one that brought about the second coming of humanity. If you're a loyalist, he's a thorn in your proverbial side because he proves that the world we live in is a bastardization of what it could be if humans were flawless creatures."_

 _"What do you mean by 'nexus'?"_ Kaoru asked as her eyes narrowed, hands itching to write down Hiko's words. She compromised and threaded her fingers together, resting them on her knee as her body swayed with the train. Hiko's words were piercing as they were uncensored; Kaoru's expressions melted from her face as she stared at him blankly, his explanation weighing heavily as she felt her hands curl on her knees, gripping the material of her pants. The older man's retelling of certain interpretations of the role of the Vestige was impactful and Kaoru felt the blood drain from her face. Hiko's own theories were much more logical but were not any less free of violence and suffering, ending in tragedy and pain.

After Hiko departed the train in the second to last station before reaching Central, Kaoru sat in the silence of the last carriage as her understanding of the world shifted significantly. Hiko's words had nestled inside her mind, not unkindly, forcing her to see the world with another perspective that she had not expected to walk away with that day. Her mind fluttered from possibility to possibility, her own judgements and questions rendering her even more baffled about what Kenshin was and what his purpose was. Hiko's recast of the legend of the Vestige being the catalyst of a war had horrified her beyond expectation and he had momentarily paused when he realized that the girl had stopped moving and had gone deathly still. She was dumbstruck by the gaps in the history that they had been taught in school, the obvious whitewashing of various interpretations and events now more obvious.

She had kept the contents of their conversation to herself as Misao and Yahiko joined her in the back of the wagon, the three of them huddling together as they held their breath while passing through the last tunnel before Central's cityscape erupted from the Earth and reached upwards towards the sky. The train was closing in on the station and they could already feel the immense presence of police and military officials lining the platform as the badly mangled train chugged forward into its bay. The three had taken a decision to slip out quietly with the crowd in the attempts to not garner any attention, determined to reach the main transport hub of Central and to continue onto what was Megumi's closet of an apartment that she had instructed them to use. Trotting along in the massive group of passengers, they were able to safely de-board the train and make their way towards the exit. They had successfully evaded being detected by the police, their hoods tightly pulled over their heads and their eyes cast downwards, but they soon realized that they needed to harmonize with the environment around them as opposed to stick out like sore thumbs given that their clothes obviously marked them as outsiders.

"This is huge, never seen anything like it," Misao whistled as she pushed through the turnstile with her hip, her bag bumping against Kaoru. "No wonder Central is the place to be." Kaoru made a sour face at her companion's words but bit back the comment that Central was the nucleus of evil within their country and she was unsure as to how the native residents of the capital would take to their presence amongst their ranks. Yahiko snorted in response to Misao's observation and pushed ahead of her, opting to lead the trio through the throngs of people that milled around the grand hall of the station.

"Besides, Misao, _you're_ supposed to continue South," Yahiko reminded her with a sharp tone to his voice. "Remember?"

" _Yeaaaaah_ , but after what happened on the train, I think safety in numbers might be of bigger use?" She drummed her chin playfully, as though taunting Yahiko, before turning to Kaoru for approval. "What do you think, Kaoru? Need an extra pair of hands?" Kaoru's brows drew together as she knew that they had left Misao fairly ignorant with regards to why they had come to Central, omitting the entire story about Kenshin and why they were making such a treacherous journey Kaoru had danced carefully around the topic, saying she was looking for information that was pertinent to what had happened to her village, and Misao had seemed fairly compliant in buying that lame attempt of a lie. To how much the girl was privy Kaoru did not know or care to know, but if Misao was readily offering her help there would eventually rise the uncomfortable situation of explaining their true motives to landing in Central.

"Extra help is great, but let's think on it tonight and decide tomorrow," Kaoru said smoothly as she adjusted her bag on her shoulders. "We need to get to where we're staying first and there we can talk about it, alright?" She could practically hear Sanosuke's raspy voice warning her that it was dangerous to let someone who was not up-to-speed on the situation into their tight knit circle. She knew it was treading dangerous water but Misao had proven to be quite the proactive individual aboard the train and she also was someone that Enishi and his men had not seen: Kaoru weighed the benefits against the disadvantages, she herself not seeing any fundamental reason as to why she should not allow the younger woman to accompany them. Yahiko's gaze had iced over, he himself knowing Misao significantly better, and Kaoru made note to ask about it later.

"Do you know how to get there anyway, Ugly?" Yahiko asked as he stretched his hands above his head, letting his hood fall back and revealing his spiky mess of hair.

"Oh, well, Megumi said to take the Line forty-five four stops, so I'm assuming we have to find the…" Kaoru trailed off as she realized that Megumi had not told her what type of vehicle it was. Kaoru had a rough understanding that Central was eons ahead of the rest of the country in terms of modernization and yet she left feeling a bit ignorant with regards to the inner workings of the city and how its residents moved from one area to another. Megumi's instructions, given with a sly smile, had been to cross the plaza right in front of the station and turn left at the intersection and she would find line forty-five. The key to Megumi's apartment was tucked away safely in the folds of Kaoru's clothing and she was relieved to know that they were nearing the small apartment where she would be able to shower and clean up a bit before they dared to present themselves out on the street again.

"Let's go, I want to take a shower," Misao whined as she gave Kaoru and Yahiko her trademark impatient look. "Besides, it's almost dinner time—I'm starving! We need to find out what's good to eat around here."

"We're not here for tourism," Yahiko said crisply as he puffed out his chest, Misao sticking her tongue out at him in reaction. They were, as Kaoru found out, a mismatched pair that worked well together but seemed to always have their own form of bickering. She found herself wondering if she and Sanosuke or if she and Ro ever resorted to such behaviour but quickly discarded the notion, knowing that she and her partners out in the field could not engage in such behaviour lest they were caught off guard and had their limbs ripped away from them by a predatory vizinho. Kaoru sighed inwardly as she pinched the bridge of her nose, counting backwards from ten as she tried to refrain from snapping at them. She was running on fumes at this point, her adrenaline long having run out and her nerves frayed beyond reasonable standards. She wanted to shower, eat something, and tuck away into a bed or a sofa for a few hours to recuperate from the fiasco on the train.

"Let's just find the apartment and you two can argue all you want," She said in a firm tone that made the younger pair stop quarrelling momentarily in surprise reaction to her statement. Yahiko made a guttural noise and Misao simply nodded, her braid shaking freely. The three crossed the impressive plaza that was decorated with beautiful statues of various figures, mostly war heroes that had brought the four cardinal civilizations to taming, and they seemed well cared for. Kaoru spotted what seemed to be an entire brigade of caretakers that were tasked with maintaining the grounds of the plaza. Some were wielding brooms, others were totting around landscaping tools, and they were all dressed in the same white pristine uniforms as they busied themselves with sweeping any fallen leaves or tending to any stray plants.

"First left," Kaoru muttered as she headed the small pack, her feet pulled in the direction of the street that Megumi had told her to take. It was a fairly long shaded and narrow street, a few shops precariously set up in the pedastrian area with a mostly residential profile. Their booted feet shuffled along as they awed at the impressive building that rose above their heads, much taller than anything in their respective villages. Even though they seemed to be residential abodes, the facades were gifted with beautiful hand crafted wooden balconies decorated in intricate iron work that curled around like wild vines. The buildings were painted in a variety of bright colours and deep tones, yet they never seemed to clash: laundry lines hung high above their heads with blouses and Central garments flapping in the humid breeze as they dried under the winking sun.

There was a certain elegance to Central that Kaoru was grappling with and she immediately felt overwhelmed by how beautiful everything was and how well maintained the buildings, the roads, and the public infrastructure seemed to be. She spied a few shop keepers talking to clients in the high dialect, the common one that was imposed on all corners of the country, and people seemed to smile easily as they negotiated for the beautiful and luscious fruits that were neatly arranged or the last few pieces of bread that were on display. She saw a flash of currency along with a ration ticket, something that she had never fathomed as possible.

She saw that there were various shops that had already closed but had left their wares on display in the windows: she caught sight of some fish, meat, and something exotic that she believed was chocolate. There were canisters of coffee and tea, rows of neatly organized sweets, and doles of fabrics that seemed to be of the highest quality. Kaoru was bowled over by the thoughtfulness put into the displays as their perfection was unrivalled; Tereré barely had any private shops, given that they were forced into the rations system, and she was horrified that commerce seemed to be much freer in Central as opposed to her own native lands.

As they drew closer and closer to the opening at the end of the narrow street, they were greeted by the sounds of water lapping against a wall and the screeching of gulls overhead. Kaoru shielded her eyes in the afternoon sunlight and she gasped aloud, her eyes widening at the serene vision that was unfolding before her and one she had never believed to have been possible; Kaoru had lived a life that was contained to artificially constructed limits. She was confined to her village and the mountains where she patrolled, but was still drawn home by the unease she felt being far from the cluster of houses and buildings. The heritage of her people, the bones that she walked over, the very legacy that was her people's burden—they were all things that called her back and she was obedient enough to follow. She contented herself with living in a place where there was no sunlight, rain and snow marking the changes in seasons. She lived in a place that was castigated to an eternal curse of industrial grittiness that wore away at the moral of the people. It saddened her without her ever realizing until she stepped foot into the heart of Central and her eyes were forcibly pried open.

" _Oh_!" Misao breathed as she drew up next to Kaoru, she herself in equal awe and disbelief.

Before them stood a massive canal that had several offshoots that snaked their way through the impressive and imperial-like buildings that gathered alone the massive expanse of water. There were what looked to be palaces, impressive government buildings, halls, houses of the higher members of society, beautiful gardens and trees that marched in line along the canals, draping their branches teasingly over the water. The waters of the grand canal were crystal clear and they were free of aggressive waves, letting people admire their reflections as they peered over the edges of the bridges that criss-crossed the canal for the foot-traffic. Upon the water's surface bobbed hundreds of boats that seemed to have a low passenger capacity but were numbered with various figures ranging from one to fifty-six; each boat seemingly crafted and carved by hand. They were sleek steeds that powered through the water under the control of the boatsmen that were dressed in tight fitting black pants and loose linen tops, exposing their bronzed skin. Many were donning wide brimmed hats to fend off the sun, others had their hair tied back with a scarf that folded neatly at the nape of their necks.

"Megumi never said anything about this," Kaoru murmured as she felt suddenly moved by the serene nature of the scene that was unfolding before her. Central citizens milled around the lush walkways that paralleled the canals, children skipping along, men talking in groups, women carrying various goods in their arms as they made their way home. There were people mingling at what looked to be restaurants—a concept Kaoru had read about once but had never seen—and they were sipping delicately at tiny cups that seemed comically impractical. There were others that perched on benches as they conversed with friends, the tinkle of laughter carried on the wind. There were many more shops that spilled onto the sidewalks and they were ranging from flower shops, to hat shops, to clothing shops, to things that went beyond Kaoru's imagination as she took in everything before her with wide azure eyes.

"This is insane," Yahiko said as he glanced around, eager to take in the views as he studied the waterway with immense curiosity. "An entire city built on water." Kaoru, too, found it incredulous that the city was suspended on water, considering it was a landlocked region and the only massive bodies of water were the rivers that divided and separated it from other territories. It was then it hit her that the city's waterways had been hand build by man and had probably taken the better part of the century to construct it—way before Enishi's claws had sunken into the face of the country and pushed it to the brink of collapse. There was something oddly romantic of the notion that people had toiled away to create such a magnificent place and she was sure that the number of casualties had been high in the attempts to erect and construct a complex labyrinth of waterways on a flat plain.

"Did you know anything about this?" Yahiko asked Misao as he glanced over at the young woman who seemed to have become enamoured with the scenery as she gazed out appreciatively over the waters that sparkled and glimmered like crystals under the sun.

"No, I had no idea, Central is so exclusive and most of my contacts would never have been able to get this close," Misao breathed as she cradled her face in her hands. "The image I had of Central was that it was some sort of hellish place that was dark and gloomy… not quite what we're seeing now." Kaoru bobbed her head in agreement, unsettled by the perception that such evil existed within the confines of such serenity. There was something deceptive about the beauty of the surface level of Central and having seen the man himself that mandated everything from his perch within such a stunning place, Kaoru could only feel uneasy and in awe of such a heavy paradoxical contradiction.

"We need to get moving," Yahiko pointed out. "I guess Megumi meant we take that?" His finger was pointing at one of the sleek narrow boats that was emblazoned with the number 'forty five' on the side.

"I guess so?" Kaoru said as she tilted her head, biting her lip as she studied the boat. There was a young man standing on the narrow platform at the back of the boat, his bare-feet clinging to the edges expertly as he leaned against his oar. He was one of the ones wearing a scarf that tied back his long hair from his face, his angular features striking as he waited for customers to approach his water-worthy mount. He seemed younger than other boatmen and yet he carried himself with the same grace as his older colleagues that fought on the artificial waterways of Central.

"Excuse me!" Misao called as she darted off in direction of the boat, chattering excitedly and in such a form that the boatman was slightly taken aback before he gave her a small smile and nodded. Kaoru and Yahiko watched from a short distance away as Misao's arms flailed as though she were negotiating, her face passing from one expression to another as she clasped her hands together and battered her eyelashes at the young man. He leaned in on his oar, seemingly interested in what the rambunctious woman was saying, and his smile widened as he shared a cheeky laugh with her. Misao pointed at Kaoru and Yahiko, both who seemed to stand a bit straighter as the boatman looked over at them.

It had taken Misao two minutes to negotiate down the price for the three of them, her charm seemingly to have bewitched the boatman in some bizarre way, and the young man graciously helped Kaoru and Misao climb into the boat. Kaoru felt his strong hand release hers as she hunkered down onto one of the wooden bench seats next to Misao, Yahiko sitting immediately in front of her, and Misao turned to the boatman to continue her animated chatter that Kaoru only perceived as background noise. He set off from the edge of the waterway where he had been lingering, pushing the oar against the wall as they glided into the canal and started to move along the massive canal, three sets of eyes whirling around in pure disbelief of the existence of such a city.

"I take it this is your first time to Central?" The boatman queried as he leaned into his oar and then slowly petered it to the left, guiding the boat towards a quieter section of the waters. The wrinkles around his eyes hinted at sunburn, something Kaoru was unused to, and she stared at them curiously, the tanned skin a stark contrast to the paleness of the North. He gave her an easy smile, to which she looked away shyly.

"Yes, it is," Kaoru replied dutifully.

"Ah, that's grand, aye," He said with a jovial smile. "It's a beautiful place—do you know the legend of how this city was born?" The three sets of eyes settled onto his figure as he gave the oar another swift push, Misao giving him a solid 'no' as an answer. He leaned into his next row of the boat, his muscles flexing and loosening with little effort, and the boat steered under one of the bridges as he bent down into a well practiced squat to avoid hitting his head.

"Central was not always called Central, at least according to the legend," He began in a grand tone that Kaoru was fairly sure was used for tourists to drum up suspense. "This city used to be called La Serenisma Nevez, as when snow fell in this plain, it painted an image of absolute tranquility and simplicity of natural beauty. However, as the world began to change, the people who inhabited these lands were driven away by great demons that plagued them and raptured their children and loved ones."

"You mean like vizinhos?"

"I suppose you could compare said demons to them, but you'd be hard pressed to find a vizinho around these parts," The boatman replied before continuing, "This region would receive snow and plenty of it, which would only go on to be stained with the blood of those who fell prey to the demons. However, one day, a change in the winds brought victory to humanity as they raised the flag of La Serenisma and began a battle that would change the course of humanity and their relationship. The legend tells that the battle was so fierce that it carved the canals and that the snows melted away as the blood of both demons and humans for the great sacrifice filled the canals, flooding them many times over and breathing death into the gardens and trees that are typical of Central.

"There was one individual though, a self proclaimed guardian of the city, that helped to bring an end to the conflict as both sides were prepared to engage until the other was completely brought to their knees in surrender," He continued to recount as he guided the boat towards a narrow entrance into one of the smaller canals that jut off of the Grand Canal. "In turn for the sacrifice made by the city's guardian, the bloody snows became these very blue waters that you see today—all the gardens have grown and flourished and have never once wilted away. The story goes that the city cannot perish because his presence keeps it alive and his essence preserves the glory of what was once La Serenisma Nevez."

"Sounds like a load of—"

"— _Yahiko_ ," Kaoru hissed before he finished his statement, although it was met with another bout of laughter from the boatman.

"It's alright, it is what we tell tourists for a bit of theatrics," The boatman said with a light shrug. "The real story itself is fairly straightforward, although there is spotty documentation regarding the appearance of the waterways. No one really knows when they were built and no one seemed bothered to jot it down anywhere. They've always sort of just… _existed._ Who knows how long ago they were built?" He gave them an easy smile as the flaps of his bandana streamed behind him, freed from their hold at his neck.

"So they really did sort of just appear out of nowhere?" Misao asked. "I find it hard to believe that no one really knows."

"Yes, well… considering you three are from outside the city, you did not know it was like this, right? It's very rare to get tourists from such far-flung reaches of the country and from what I understand, they don't really do schooling anymore," The boatman said. "You'll find that it is a very different lifestyle here than perhaps what you're used to?"

"Absolutely," Misao hummed as she reached down into the water and let her fingers skirt over the surface, the cool water threading through her fingers as she smiled to herself and her picture perfect reflection that smiled back at her. As she peered over the edge, she could spot the stonework of the canal beneath her, a never ending expanse of bricks that were occasionally interrupted by a clumping of aquatic plants that swayed back and forth in the current. The trio could see why the city bore the name La Serenisma; there was a sense of peace and harmony that bubbled on the surface of what would, in their minds, be the heart of evil and corruption of their country.

The conversation was light and informative, the boatman providing them with details regarding what to sample in terms of local cuisine, sights to see, as well as things to purchase that would be hard to come by in other parts of the country. Kaoru found that playing the role of a wide eyed tourist was much more comfortable than expected, leaning into the seat of the boat as she stretched her legs before her and let the gentle rocking of the sleek boat ease her into a state of relaxation that she had not felt since beginning the journey.

As they navigated down a narrow channel and into a less decorative area of Central, they realized they were drawing close to their final destination. The water in these canals was much deeper as they watched the boatman use his oar against the walls to straighten the ship as opposed to touching the bottom of the canal. The waters were slightly murkier, the bottom still visible if you squinted, and the tall buildings shaded the canal to the point that the water's reflection seemed to change every few seconds and altered their perspective. There were some buildings that looked a bit more run down than others, but they were still appealing compared to some of the houses in Tereré—these were buildings built to endure and to have an impressive longevity.

Misao dropped the promised payment into the hands of the boatman and he gave them a pleasant wave goodbye as they watched him and his boat slowly crawl away from the drop-off dock that was in near danger of sinking into the canal. Kaoru watched as he vanished from sight, turning a corner that would lead him back to the main canal, and she rested her hands on her hips as she took in a long breath and looked upwards. Megumi's building was in average condition, some parts of the plaster needing to be replaced, but decorated with vines that seemed to scale the building as they reached towards the sky.

Yahiko pushed open the door suspiciously, glancing around in the poorly lit common area, before spotting the staircase tucked away in the back of the room. The three moved quietly through the space as they climbed the old rickety staircase that squeaked under their collective weight, scaling the narrow hallway as they wound their way upwards towards the fifth floor where Megumi lived. They reached her door, an ordinary looking for, and Kaoru fished the key from her robes as she shoved it into the keyhole and turned slowly, letting the door swing open as their eyes adjusted to the dim light of the apartment.

It was a tastefully decorated apartment that did not reflect the necessary opulence of Central: Megumi had opted for simple decor, financed by her family's wealth in the North, and used dark woods and coloured tapestries that were traditional of Tereré craftsmen. There were the familiar geometric patterns that eased Kaoru—a sign of home—that ringed the fabrics and gave them texture and dimension. There was a plush black rug that occupied the majority of the small sitting room and an unassuming sofa. Kaoru spotted a door that was cracked open to reveal a cozy bedroom whose bed was made up with Northern blankets despite the warmth of Central.

"Nice," Yahiko breathed as he pushed by Kaoru and plopped himself down on the sofa, sinking into it comfortably as he raised his arms and crossed them behind his head.

"Nice to have friends with a bit of wealth," Misao said slyly as she gave Kaoru a teasing look before sliding by the older girl and sitting upon the opposite end of the sofa.

"I suppose it is," Kaoru sighed as she retracted the key from the keyhole and dropped it onto the counter, closing the door behind her. Yahiko's sack had been carelessly discarded and she moved it out of the way, removing her own and adding it to the pile. She shed her cloak and felt her skin cry out in relief as it was released from the warm confines of her shredded garment. Tossing it to their sacks, she arched her back as she stretched and looked out the narrow window that peeked out over the canal and she smiled slightly inwardly, relieved to have made it to Central and to Megumi's humble abode without too many problems. Now it would be a question of locating Tomoe and extracting the information required from the woman; Kaoru knew that it would be a tough nut to crack, Tomoe's ambiguous nature being a challenge within itself, but she was determined to walk away with something having been won.

"Let's rest and then figure out food," Kaoru proposed as she eyed the large bed that would accommodate her and Misao comfortably.

"And clothes," Misao chirped as she bobbed her head merrily, to which Kaoru gave her a weary nod.

* * *

Yahiko tore away at a piece of the meat kebab, making a happy gurgling sound as he savoured the rare treat of animal protein, and Kaoru watched in bemused horror as he polished off his third one. She and Misao had opted for smaller dishes, not wanting to upset their stomachs, but the shopkeeper had noticed how skinny Kaoru was underneath the recently purchased clothes and had piled on a few scraps of bruised vegetables that Central natives would turn their noses up to if it were placed on their plate.

They had bought some cheaper garments that helped to guise their foreignness; Kaoru and Misao opting for simple white blouses and flowing skirts of various colours whilst Yahiko was forced into a pair of loose pants and a button up. He had grumbled about it, citing it was too loose for his liking, but Misao had handed over the cash to pay for their garments without question. The two women had walked ahead of Yahiko, who had opted to linger behind a few steps, and they felt the immediate drop in curious stares and wide eyes. They strolled alongside the canal and criss-crossed over small foot bridges, taking in the sights of Central at dusk before settling for a food stall that looked promising.

Kaoru had spoken to Yahiko in quiet tones as Misao skipped ahead, the two of them begrudgingly agreeing that it would be an asset to have the younger woman amongst their ranks. Despite her almost carefree nature, Kaoru could certainly pick up on the fact that Misao was spirited and had her own strengths that could contribute to their cause. They had decided to approach her about the subject before they retired to bed that evening, opting to allow her to stay if she swore to keep the meat and bones of their purpose for being in Central a secret. They had been providing and feeding her an abridged reason that omitted many details and they knew that they had to come clean with the woman to allow her the choice of continuing alongside them or backing off from the mission.

It was only when they were locked away safely in the apartment that Kaoru jerked her head at Yahiko, signalling that she was about to propose the offer to the younger woman who was brushing out her braid in the bathroom. The two party members stood stiffly as they watched Misao emerge from the bathroom, her bright eyes suddenly suspicious as she met their firm glances with one of her one, uttering a, "What?"

"Yahiko and I have been speaking," Kaoru said slowly as she sank onto the sofa and rested her hands on her knees, sliding forward into a horrible posture that she still found comfortable. "We would be more than happy to have you come along with us, but you need to know the truth."

"The truth?" Misao echoed as she let the towel fall from her hands to the floor, stepping over it as she approached Kaoru and squatted in front of her, meeting her gaze squarely with a serious hue to her eyes that Kaoru had not seen before. "What do you mean the truth?"

"When we spoke in the pub with Sanosuke, you mentioned that you were aware that Central was gathering troops together and that the other side is getting whipped into a frenzy," Kaoru spoke slowly as she carefully selected her words. "You even said that you thought that Enishi is laying a trap for something that you believe to be out of his control and is something that he wants to capture for his own benefit, correct?"

"Yes, I did," Misao said flatly as she looked over at Yahiko who joined Kaoru on the sofa. "Based on observations and rumours—and now with what's happened on the train, I think it's a fairly reasonable gut feeling, don't you?"

"We ain't denying it," Yahiko said gruffly.

"And you also said that you were looking for someone in Central. "Misao pointed out as she began to fiddle with a flap of loose skin around her thumb nail. "Which is why I offered my services—at no charge even—that's what I'm good at: getting information and organizing it. I've not started making a lot of connections but this conversation is leading me down a tangent where I think I'll be making one by the looks of things… or am I wrong?" Her eyebrows jutted upwards at the two who looked down at her from the perch of the sofa.

"Did you ever come up with any reason as to why things were becoming unbalanced?" Kaoru enquired as she momentarily stretched her fingers.

"I could make a few guesses, yes," Misao replied in a campy voice that was almost mocking. "I've figured that Central is probably behind something in the West and it's forcing a lot of vizinhos to migrate and show erratic behaviour that makes them much more aggressive than normal. It's also forcing out a bunch of species that none of us have ever seen—so whatever they're looking for in the West or whatever they're doing here in Central is enough to rile them up.

"Enishi is, if I had to guess based on the troop movements as well as the hearsay you pick up on out in the field, trying to find something that is a direct threat to his hold on centralized power and could probably topple him," Misao continued as she lowered herself to a full sitting position on the floor. "Everything that's been happening is showing that he's getting nervous about whatever is going to happen and he's trying to wrangle whatever it or who it may be." Misao tilted her head at the pair, her eyes solemn as she cleared her conscious of the theories she had been contemplating under the guise of the cheerful exterior.

"We told you how Enishi attacked my village," Kaoru remarked in a soft tone. "What we neglected to tell you was why."

"Oh?" Yahiko's gaze slid over to Kaoru's haunched over figure, unsure as to how she was going to pitch the information to the younger woman and he felt his shoulders tense up with suspense.

"He was looking for exactly what you said, something that he wants because he either wants to consolidate his power or truly believes that he's a threat to his reign," Kaoru began to explain. "This friend of mine—he's a gentle soul, almost to a fault, yet there is something about him that is not quite human in the sense he is able to channel magic like what we see from the other side." Misao's mouth formed into an 'o' shape as her jaw dropped but she snapped it up quickly as Kaoru continued.

"We've come to Central to look for a woman that might know where my friend is," Kaoru said in a halting voice as she refused to let the tears well up in her azure eyes. "This woman has the gift of foresight, at least that's what we've been told to believe, and she is probably the only one who will be able to give us some sort of indication as to where he could be. He's an extremely important person, but he's in a frail state of being—and I feel responsible for him and his wellbeing in a way."

"What do you mean frail?" Misao asked warily, her mind immediately jumping to the red head that was currently in the middle ground with Pops.

"He's torn between what is the correct path to follow or to pursue his own happiness," Kaoru answered bluntly as her knuckles cracked.

"Ah," Misao managed to say as she processed the much fuller image as to why they would make such a dangerous trek down to the nest of evil and corruption that was a gilded watery cage. "And if you find him?"

"I don't know… but I want him to make the choice that is best for him and for no one else," Kaoru said in a flat down. Misao did not bother to respond, but she was immediately able to suss out that the other woman harboured some sort of emotional attachment to this person in question. There was no doubt in her mind that someone with Kaoru's constitution would form a protective bond with someone who was morally divided and Misao calculated that this individual was more than likely to be someone else from the red head that bumbled around the reeds with Pops. There was still an inkling of a suspicion but the woman shook it off, discarding the possibility for the moment; although she still found Kaoru's explanation was filled with gaping holes and there were more specific details that were being purposely skipped over.

"I'll help you," Misao said in easy agreement. "I also have my own reasons for abandoning my defenceless village and I don't want to waste any time."

"We figured you would agree," Yahiko commented as he gave her a shift of a nod of approval. "Just like you, Misao." She gave him a crooked smile, recognizing the compliment, and looked over at Kaoru whose serene expression seemed relieved. Misao knew that it was difficult to indulge someone in details that were not necessarily meant to be heard by all ears and she realized it was a massive leap in trust on behalf of the rugged Northerner to confide in her in such a way. They had escaped a nearly fatal situation by coordinating and working together and she realized that, that had been enough to tip Kaoru's trust in her favour. She had never been outwardly treated in a way that would discomfort her, but she could tell that Yahiko and Kaoru were clinging to information that they seemed hesitant to share with her.

"So… tell me more about this Tomoe?"

* * *

It was long after Misao and Yahiko had been caught up in the gentle rocking waves of sleep that Kaoru found herself restless within the confines of Megumi's bed. It was not her own bed, something of a novelty for someone who had never left her village, and she felt that the apartment was claustrophobic. She could hear Megumi's neighbours shuffling around, the snoring of someone in the building directly across the canal, and she had heard what sounded like a heated argument from the apartment below them. The noise palette was too different and she found it difficult to allow herself the luxury of falling asleep.

Slipping through the doorway, careful not to rouse Misao, she yanked at the loose skirt and grabbed the shredded remains of her cloak, swathing herself in the material to fend off the chilled air that seemed to permeate the apartment. Pocketing the key as she closed the self locking door, she crept down the stairs and freed herself from the vertical prison of urban living, hugging against the wall as she stared at the waters of the canal that babbled lightly beneath the oil lights that rowed the narrow paved streets. Kaoru inhaled slightly, the cool air reaching her lungs, and she trotted off quietly towards the right.

Central at night, as she was quick to discover, was a completely different beast: the lack of human movement in the streets, the boats tied up at their respective docks, and the faint light of the oil lights gave it an almost surreal and fantasy like presence. The buildings seemed to be engulfed in shadows, the waters seemed murkier when the sun was not beaming down on them, and the entire ambiance seemed much more reserved than during the day. Kaoru stopped momentarily to stare at a pair of the sleek passenger boats that bobbed up and down and bumped against each other.

Navigating through the narrow streets, she found herself in a small plaza that was teaming with yellow and white roses, she herself having never seen a rose in her life, and she cautiously approached them as though doing something wrong. She sniffed at the wide blooms and found them to her liking, stroking their petals with her hands tentatively before retreating to one of the many benches that were kept in the area. The plaza was intimate and also had many water features—there was a decorative fountain that spewed water and a few small waterways that criss-crossed the interior of the square, enough that one could step over them without too much annoyance.

She rested her back against the high bench, tilting her head up to the cloudless night sky that was illuminated by a nearly full moon. Megumi had warned her that Central could be dangerous if she wandered too far from the quiet residential area but she found that her guard was relaxed within the gardened plaza. There was something enchanting about how the water seemed to circulate through the thoughtfully designed features that divided the plaza, causing it to seem as though she was hopping from island to island as she had crossed the space. She had never been witness to such luxuries such as gardens, plazas, and pleasant buildings whose design was to appease the picky eye; she had never been taught to see the beauty in buildings that were merely designed to weather the harsh Northern winters that bore down on them.

The moon winked back at her playfully, seeming to egg her on as she felt her hands raise upwards and her fingers splayed out—Kaoru wanted to touch the moon and feel it between her hands. She wanted to reach up beyond the clouds, pull herself up by their silky threads and see the world that seemed to grow with each step that she ventured to take. A concept such as Central was baffling to her and she felt within she should have harboured some sort of profound fear of the smug waters, the lingering presence of the buildings that peered down at her, and the rich silks and floral patterns that seemed to weave and out of the corner of her eye as she had caught flashes of the naturals of that place. She should have felt some sort of resentment, some sort of hared, and something else that would spur her to lash out but she felt oddly at peace after the scenario on the train, grateful for a moment of peace that she shared with Misao and Yahiko who had also been exhausted by the events on the train.

Letting out a soft and almost cackle-like laugh, she pushed herself to her feet as she felt the espadrilles hit the smooth ground and she winged her arms out, her fingers flowing as they cut through the humid air. Her skirts flared out as she side stepped and moved erratically, her feet spinning as her laughs tinkled through the empty square as she neatly leapt over one of the waterways, her feet brushing the surface of the water. Her bobbed hair kissed her cheeks as she spun around again, seeming to want to release the pent up reserve of energy that she had suddenly discovered in her reserves. She smiled to herself as she reached down and dipped her hand into the cool waters, marvelling at how clear they were and she splashed some of the water onto her face despite having bathed in Megumi's tidy bathroom earlier.

The bizarre encounter she had, had with what had assumed the figure of her father, the latest vision of Kenshin, and the reality that she had been barely saved from being smashed into the ground—they were all blown to the wind as she moved around in her own sense of self imposed euphoria, the world melting away as it became a show of colours, lights, and raw feelings that manifested into orange winter blossoms, falling snowflakes, and ribbons of green lights as she flicked her fingers and tossed her head back in glee.

There was a strange contradiction for Kaoru as she slowed her mad spin and dipped her arms downwards, digging them back up as she tried to frame the moon between her calloused fingers; Kaoru knew that this was the ground zero of all of the country's problems, the host to those who sought out Kenshin, and the nucleus of the beating heart of pure uncensored evil that pumped contaminated blood in every direction. Yet she felt the feeling vanish momentarily as she skittered across the ground, the sleeves of her shredded cloak fluttering behind her as though it were the cape of a fallen hero rising back in a moment of redemption as she stared down the fires and faced the source of suffering as a last attempt hope to gain ground.

She ceased her moments after she lost count of the minutes, her chest puffing as she lifted her head and took in the surroundings of her invisible audience. It had been a break in character, a crack in the thick armour she had erected to drive away the pain—yet she felt oddly liberated as she found herself stepping down into the light currents of one of the waterways, soaking her espadrilles through to the skin of her feet, and she paused. Turning as she trained her gaze towards the much bigger canal that was nearly tucked out of eyesight, she reached up and brushed her bangs from her hair as she let her hands hit her sides and the ends of the skirt sopped up the water, but she did not care.

As the story that the boatman had given them repeated in her head on an odd loop, she found herself desperately wishing that the shadowy guardian that had presided over the city was real and not a creature of legend. A set of eyes that watched her dance in the labyrinth of plants and man made insanity, a set of eyes that had seen great tragedy and suffered from tragedy itself—and she felt her breath catch as she overlaid the story that the boatman had preached and Hiko's haunting departing words when he abandoned the train before reaching Central.

The older man had told her many theories but there had been one that clicked aggressively in her mind and nearly seized her soul as she let out a chortled noise, covering her mouth with her hands in shock: "The Vestige was the one that caused and stopped this world from being thrown into uncontrolled chaos—the one that ensured both sides continued to ravage war or make their peaces. And, little lady, did we ever mess up."

The whimsical world of orange winter flowers and fat snowflakes shattered like a reflecting glass as it all came crashing down on top of her.

* * *

A/N: Just a Kaoru-Yahiko-Misao centric chapter, needed to transition into the stage that will be Central.

Also, thank you to everyone who reviews! We've just broken 100, which is a great feeling. :) For those who just stop by and read, please don't hesitate to leave a review! It keeps us writers motivated.

Just as a reminder, don't forget to check out the Spotify playlist Vestige!


	28. Chapter 28

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XXVIII

The Secret Garden

"May your journey overflow with new allies and old foes."

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

* * *

"You seem to be on edge," Soujirou drawled as he glanced up at Enishi who was seated at his elegant desk, a massive collection of papers scattered about as he rested his head in his hands, his elbows propping him up as he glowered at the younger man. The young Soujirou, whose political affiliations and beliefs left even Enishi doubting his loyalties, had waltzed into his office and had plopped down onto one of the comfortable chairs, scraping it over the wooden floors as he leaned in and forced Enishi to recognize his presence.

"These _are_ trying times," Enishi replied as he peered at Soujirou over the rims of his thin glasses, his narrowed eyes taking on an even more nefarious glower to them. "I thought you were in the West for at least another month?"

"I was summoned back to Central," Soujirou answered smartly as he inspected his freshly changed clothes, Central designs and fabrics fitting his body neatly and snuggly, and he looked back at Enishi and the two guards that were stationed behind the country's leader. "Although I can hardly say that I was of use in the West: it's become unbearable to work out there with all the activity from the other side. It's aggressive and it's making Westerners nervous that they're the core of the more vicious encounters."

"The West needed to be tamed and perhaps the spike in activity is to our benefit despite the initial conflicts we have been facing," Enishi said solemnly as he tapped his finger against a map of the Western territory and its villages. "A litmus test of loyalty in the Western civilization. It would be beneficial to put them to task."

"Changing the subject; you've heard about what happened on the train in Turino?" Soujirou leaned back in the chair as it creaked under his weight. Enishi's slight nod was enough to provoke a crooked smile from Soujirou as the youth seemed oddly gleeful about the events. Information had leaked back to Enishi as soon as the train had pulled into the station in Central. Enishi had been briefed by sources in the interior of the country, knowing the train was bound for the capital, and had ordered for all troops to stand down and to let the train reach its scheduled destination. Many of his senior advisors had gawked on in horror at the order but kept their lips clamped together as they confirmed his orders, scuttling about to ensure that the train was not stopped.

"Of course," Enishi replied easily. "I imagine that you've seen the wreckage of the train?"

"I was aboard the very train that was attacked by the rouge vinzinho," Soujirou answered in a hushed tone as the two guards stood a bit taller. Enishi's eyebrow arched as he tried to connect how Soujirou had been in the West and ended up on a train that originated in the North. The older man knew not to question the younger one too much—Soujirou was immensely clever for his own good—yet there was something unsavoury to his words that irked the leader. "Needless to say, it seems that you're losing your touch, Enishi. There's some very questionable people running around Central now."

"My touch, eh?" Enishi rasped as his lips flickered into a bizarre twisted smile. "Pray tell, Soujirou, what merits such heavy accusations from someone whose loyalty is barely credible in an age where loyalty defines your fate and if you live to see another day?" Soujirou gave him a heavily annoyed look, displeased by the pompous speech, and grunted as his feet swung back and forth in an almost childlike way. Enishi had come to know the young man through the network of contacts that were the hidden eyes of Central; Soujirou had been very open in regards to not tying his alliances to any set party and yet had no reserves with sharing information with both sides. Enishi was keenly aware that he was a danger to have around but his effectiveness in obtaining results outweighed a significant part of the risk of having such an uncommitted figure running around under his watch.

"Do you remember the patrollers from Aimer that were rumoured to be undermining their corp's operating missions and orders a few years ago? I believe it was in the fourth month," Soujirou began as he ceased swinging his feet back and forth and planted them firmly on the ground. "It was around the time that your sister decided to abandon her place in Central, if I'm not mistaken." Soujirou did not miss the momentary look of radiant despise that was sent in his direction but Enishi smoothed his expression into his normally calm and collected one that was only occasionally riddled with the rare twisted smile or firmly pressed lips whilst deep in thought.

"I do recall, yes, it was under one of the many failed Delegate representatives who let them get their way too often," Enishi said slowly. "All of those accused of participating in such acts of subversion were removed from duty and executed." He watched as Soujirou's expression narrowed but refused to volunteer any more information, he himself curious and intrigued as to where Soujirou would drag this conversation. He knew that the young man's deceptively clever information gathering strategies were top notch and Enishi swore to himself to only give him the base information that those in the higher ranks would understand as common knowledge.

"One of the ones that was the supposed organizers was on the same train," Soujirou said with a sly smile. "He had never been formally accused because of the lack of evidence and his ranking gave him enough weight in the courts to be absolved of any responsibility for organizing any sort of highjacking of the corps' supplies and designated missions. I believe his name is Seijurou Hiko.

"What's _more_ : Hiko was very quick to join in the group that took out the canine vizinho that was attacking the train and the passengers," Soujirou continued as his tone flattened. "And he was not the only patroller on the train from the looks of it: you had a girl from the North who seemed to be heading the whole counter-attack."

" _Girl_?" Enishi leaned back in his seat as he folded his hands and rested them on his lap, mildly intrigued by the information that was being provided to him by Soujirou. His mind immediately flashed to the woman who had been in the company of the Vestige: she had, had the most delicious azure eyes that he had seen and she had garnered her reputation as a reputable patroller alongside the other woman who had emigrated to the North. Enishi had watched as the she and the Vestige moved through the dances of the Northern people, her colourful skirts flying up as they wove their bodies together. It had been, in Enishi's opinion, a vulgar display as such a mere mortal was cozy with the red headed source of irritation for the man. He had seen how the gentle stare of the Vestige had rested on the pretty female, the two of them ducking away out of sight before Enishi commanded that Tereré be burned to the ground to smoke him out from hiding. He knew that the Northerners were fiercely protective of their lands and they were heady people: Enishi knew that he would be able to force her hand in his favour by exposing and confirming that the red head was the object of his crooked desires.

"She didn't look older than twenty five, but she was the one that took out the massive black vizinho," Soujirou remarked. "I assisted her in the act—a few civilians and myself went to slow the train. It was quite the display for someone so young and seemingly inexperienced. She certainly barely knew her way around a pistol."

"A pistol?" Enishi's eyebrow arched at the mention of a weapon that was exclusive to military based in Central. "Where would she have gotten that?" Soujirou shrugged and started as Enishi slid his chair back and rose to his feet, his silken outer robe billowing out behind him. The leader was deadly quiet as he drew up next to Soujirou, his gaze icy as he glowered down at the younger man, Soujirou barely flinching as he intercepted Enishi's glare with the grace of a seasoned fighter.

"And it's confirmed that she's in Central?" Enishi asked in an even tone that was laced with malicious intentions. "We cannot fall back on our usual tactics of extraction. Not within the city."

"She and her friends got off in Central station and vanished into the crowd before I could catch up with her or get any more information, but it should not be too hard to track her down," Soujirou said warily. "There are not many natives of Tereré here and she seemed to be moving as though she either knew where she was going or was following the instructions that someone gave her." Enishi was quiet as he contemplated the words he had just swallowed and gave a firm gesture of his hand, signalling for Soujirou to abandon his office and to retreat into the shadows where he was expected to function.

"Let's see if you can track her down before the military police can," Enishi spoke with the same disarming even tone. "This is a true test of your intentions, Soujirou, as you still have not proven that you adhere to the cause of furthering humanity and advancing our objectives. You and I are both aware that this situation is time sensitive and is, effectively, a bomb: find out why that woman is in Central and we can surely find the Vestige and end this poor game of cat-and-mouse that has tired me." Soujirou was dumbstruck as he watched Enishi's frame retreat, the young man scrambling to his feet as he trailed after him, entering into the great hall that was opened to the lush gardens that ran parallel to the covered hall.

"And what about using your sister?" Soujirou enquired, knowing it was a dangerous question to propose anything related to the polarizing woman and her talents.

"Tomoe's refusal to cooperate has proven to be a mere annoyance," Enishi retorted as he walked briskly, not sparing a glance at the guards that were lined up against the tall pillars of the covered hall. Soujirou did not reply, understanding that Enishi's sister had been the proverbial thorn in Enishi's side during this massive hunt for the Vestige: rumours trailed through the upper reaches of Central's social circles and there was a general understanding that Tomoe had fled from the palace and the capital to avoid having to be used as a tool for Enishi's bidding. She had always been an odd child, according to the elders close to Enishi, and she had always refused to linger in her brother's shadow, always watching with a certain disdain towards him.

"Our time is running out and I have an agenda to adhere to… otherwise humanity will fall behind once again and we will be whisked back to inhabiting caves and wearing pelts," Enishi said calmly, seemingly non-plussed by the thought. Soujirou thought it was a gross display of arrogance and confidence but he slanted his head in reaction, unsure as to how to best reply to his leader's strings of words. "If this woman is in Central, I will find her and I will do whatever is necessary to get my hands on the Vestige. If you capture her, Soujirou, you will be lavishly rewarded for your service to my government—and awarded a permanent position in my cabinet."

"As wonderful as that sounds, I prefer to stick to what I'm already doing," Soujirou said with a light hint of mocking to his tone. "Send your military police, Enishi, I'm not personally invested in helping you with your hunt. I simply provide information that you perhaps find useful to your project—there's no return investment for me here."

"Did Shishio drill that into your skull as well?" Soujirou froze in his steps as he caught sight of Enishi looking at him impassively over his shoulder, the leader himself having stopped his loping gait as he waited to see if the younger man would take the bait. "Or is that your own words and beliefs that you desperately cling to in this era of transition? You and him were always stuck in the old ways of the former sympathizers. We expected your reeducation would have been to your benefit. It seems as though he imparts his philosophy of playing both sides of the field upon your young and malleable brain." Soujirou's false smile greeted Enishi and the older man knew that the child was throwing up his defences in order to not allow him to work his way under the more vulnerable patches of his personal history.

"Master Shishio was always one to warn us that we should be careful when playing with fire," Soujirou said calmly as he clenched his fists together. "But to answer your question, there is little incentive to tie myself to the government. I'm quite satisfied with my position as a set of roaming eyes." Enishi's expression was unmoving as he accepted the fairly diplomatic answer from the problematic youth, neither displeased or satisfied with his response.

"I see," Enishi ventured to reply. "Very well, if you wish to continue with your games, play all you want, Soujirou. Send my regards to your 'Master'." Soujirou's false smile widened at the degrading manner to which Enishi referred Shishio, knowing that the two men were at constant odds yet he gave a sharp nod of his head in acknowledge of the order.

Taking a step forward whilst Enishi remained still, Soujirou brushed against the leader as he took his leave, willing himself to cross the remaining distance of the hallway to avoid any further conflict with the leader and his temper, hoping that it would be a less painful experience if he were to make a graceful exit. He felt the intensity of Enishi's eyes peering at his retreating frame as he slowly closed the distance with the door that he had passed through on numerous occasions, knowing that Enishi was capable of ordering him to be executed on the spot given that he was not sporting any weapons and could not readily defend himself. Shishio had always been wary of the leader, citing that his bouts of crazed impulses were too detrimental to the fabric of the country and sooner or later things would sink like a rock to the bottom of a pond. His Master had encouraged him to maintain a healthy distance but to also conserve the nature of their business with the ruler; Soujirou found it troublesome but complied because he vested his trust in Shishio.

As he heard the doors close behind him, Soujirou released a breath that he had not realized he had been retaining and he found himself blinking in the blinding sunlight of Central, the crystal water around him glimmering. It was the perfect calm before the raging storm as far as he was concerned and he knew that perhaps finding that woman before Enishi's dogs could locate her could be a massive provocation or a saving grace.

* * *

"You seem troubled my boy," Pops said as he plopped down in front of Kenshin, a warm cup of tea being thrust into the red head's hands. The old man reached up and loosened the bandana from his head, the cloth sliding down and pooling into a useless lump in his lap. Kenshin was silent as he took a contemplative sip of his tea, appreciating the natural sweetness of the beverage that warmed him to his toes. His mind had been occupied lately and the last vision he had, had of Miss. Kamiya had been enough to comfort as well as unsettle him, unsure as to what her motives were.

Kenshin's body had recovered, the burn on his arm only a faint scar now, and he was growing weary of circling the pools of water and roaming the forest around Pops' hut, seemingly searching for something that even he did not quite understand. The forest would taunt him and whisper in his ear, speaking to him in tongues and riddles that frustrated him endlessly. He had grown aware of the forest and her games, how she would seemingly shift against him and his conscious as she cozied up to the amnesiac in the attempts to quell the anxiety that rolled off him. Kenshin found it endlessly annoying that things would be dangled in front of him and would be yanked away with little warning: it was as though the entire world hid secrets from him under the guise of protecting him. His shattered memory was still a massive cloud of fog and he was unable to reach through it unless it was a gentle rest and a saving vision of Miss. Kamiya that seemed to stabilize his world and rekindle his unknown purpose.

Despite Pops' world class hospitality and the gentle reminder that he was not overstaying his welcome, Kenshin's restlessness was eating away at his aching conscious as he grappled with the fact that he was rendered practically useless while his memory was the very thing that plagued him. His mostly dreamless sleep was a hazy fog and he desperately tried to catch glimpses or clues of what he was or who he was, uncertainty defining his tossing and turning in the night. He longed for contact with Miss. Kamiya, to break the fog within his mind, but she would not manifest before his mind's eye and he would awake in the night, drenched in sweat as the forest cackled in the background, bemused by his inner torment.

He would often rise from the bed roll and slip out of the hut, wandering amongst the pools of water as he glanced down, only to be met with his own reflection. What he saw that stared back at him was someone that resembled Pops, Misao, or Miss. Kamiya: a human being. His violet stare was docile and collected, he had two eyes, a mouth, and nose. His flame red hair was certainly an oddity amongst others and the bizarre runes on his right hand were the only things that gave any mild indication that he was vastly different from them.

Pops had said that his injuries on his arm had been caused by a back-up of powerful magic and he could remember Pops' expression when he enquired if Pops also could manipulate magic. The sadness reflected in the eyes of the older man was isolating, an almost gentle sort of pity, and Kenshin came to terms with the idea that he was condemned to the fact that he was an existence with a human face whose origins and purpose were still shrouded in mystery.

His humanity was questionable: if he used magic, was he considered a human? Could he exist on the same plain as Miss. Kamiya or Pops? These were the questions he tortured himself with as he struggled to organize his thoughts and try to make some sense of the pieces that he could grasp. Miss. Kamiya had hinted that they had lived together and that their coexistence was peaceful, meaning that she had been able to see beyond the lack of his humanity: he obviously felt a strong connection with her as he had been able to console her and bring her back from the brink of destruction, urging her to wake up and tackle whatever was occurring on her plain. She looked at him with the same sort of gentle pity that Pops did yet there was something beneath her gaze that lacked in Pops'. Miss. Kamiya seemed to know him very well and he knew that at some point he would have to demand answers from her, despite her wishes against imparting that knowledge onto him. She came from a good place, that he understood, but the path to hell was paved with good intentions in his humbled opinion.

"Kenshin?" He dragged his stare up to meet the quieted gaze of the older man sitting before him. "You're tired of being trapped here, I assume?" Kenshin's face smoothed over, trying to mask his reaction to Pops' observation, but he knew that the old man saw right through his attempt to hide whatever disgruntled expression he had sported.

"This one is starting to question many things," Kenshin offered by ways of explanation and answer.

"Such as?" Pops' tone was not harsh or judgemental, he simply set his tea down next to him and rested his hands on his knees, waiting for the red head to elaborate on his statement.

"Why this one looks like a human but isn't," Kenshin said brusquely, catching the old man off guard momentarily as surprise registered on his withered face before it melted away into a thoughtful and sympathetic one. The old man knew that the red head's head was consumed by the flickering fires of self doubt and self-awareness: he watched how Kenshin would sneak out and stare at his own reflection in the pools of water for hours on end, questioning his existence and the existence of everything around him. Pops was aware that the young man was extremely in-tune with nature, often catching him peering into the forest or towards the sky, a dulled look to his brilliant violet eyes glazing over him as he seemed to fall into a trance that was nothing Pops had ever experienced himself.

"Humanity is a tricky concept," Pops said quietly as he crossed his arms. "There are people who are biological humans that commit acts that go beyond what we would consider humane. The other side is plagued with individuals whose humanity has been overshadowed by greed, narcissism, and corruption." He sighed as he gave Kenshin a tired smile, his dark eyes somewhat cloudy as he regarded the red head with his paternal gaze that seemed to ease the red head's nerves.

" _You_ , on the other hand, are more human than most—there's a selflessness to you that rivals the greatest saints and you seem not to have an evil bone in your body," Pops continued as he watched Kenshin's expression soften at the kindness of his words. "Humanity is not something that conforms to a textbook definition of what we understand to be cut and clean. Biology is not enough to provide a comprehensive solution, it's often the actions that define one's humanity. At least that's what I would like to believe." Pops' reassurance was a balm of the open wounds of doubt, and Kenshin gave him a tired nod.

"By definition, Kenshin, there's very little that separates you from us," Pops remarked. "You're able to use magic, of course, but that is not something that defines you independently. You're a gentle soul, one that does not harm others. Even without your memory or recollections of who you were before, I'm sure that you were more human than the majority of us. In fact, you still are."

"Then why does Miss. Kaoru hid this one's past?" Pops, once again caught off guard by the brutal sincerity of the question, knew that perhaps it was better to not fudge the truth on this enquiry, knowing it could have further repercussions. In the old man's mind, there was no doubt that the red head and would be reunited again—be it in this world or one beyond his eyes' ability to perceive—but he felt that their reunion would be on the fringes of tragedy. Kenshin had been silent about the woman, only speaking about her when asked, and Pops could see the troubled look on the red head's face when he spoke of her. There was also immense fondness mixed with a longing to see someone who held the keys to so many chambers tucked away within the complex existence that was Kenshin. Pops felt great sympathy but figured that the woman had her motives for being so tightlipped and secretive.

"I cannot speak for someone that I do not know," Pops admitted, rolling his shoulders in slight defeat.

"This one wants to see her," Kenshin breathed harshly, his voice suffocating himself. "This is becoming more and more difficult to stand-by passively while Miss. Kamiya is alone—"

"—Alone doing _what?_ " Pops cut him off, his voice not hostile but also questioning as he tried to veer Kenshin's frustration away from wandering too close to an unseen edge that even the old man could not predict. "Perhaps this part of whatever she may be doing needs to be done alone, Kenshin, otherwise it could have its own dire consequences if you were to interfere. Without knowing where you fit in this equation, you could just make things more pressing and difficult for her."

His wise eyes slid to the side as he peered out over the pools of water, his gaze drawn to the one he knew that lead to the other side, and he sighed as he felt the red head's frustration crescendo violently before simmering down. The young man was teaming with magic, a danger within itself, and he knew that uneasiness could spell problems if Kenshin was unable to contain himself and reacted in tandem with his magic. The burns on his arm had been significant evidence that confirmed Pops' suspicions regarding the sheer power channeling through his very human-like body and the runes on his hand spoke volumes to the old man.

"This one wants to ensure that Miss. Kamiya's wellbeing is protected," Kenshin protested.

"And if you were to distract her from her objective by suddenly appearing?" Pops countered. "I understand your frustrations, my boy, but you must be patient: you do not know who or what you are, this can only hinder things for the moment. Fate has a funny way of working, so please—for the sake of everyone, stay put until you are needed. You will know when you're called forth, believe me. Fate is hardly going to ignore someone as yourself, but we cannot twist her rules, unfortunately." He gave a bitter smile as he reached for Kenshin's abandoned tea and dumped it into the grass, rising to his feet.

"This world is a mysterious yet wondrous place, but works on its own time," The old man said as he gave Kenshin a look racked with sadness for the amnesiac. "Whatever is happening on the human plain has not touched the sanctuary of the intermediate world. I'm sure we will gain an understanding of what happens soon, so please, exercise patience while we are still blind." Kenshin did not even move to acknowledge the man's words, casting his soft gaze towards the ground as he tracked Pops' retreating footsteps in the grass as he ambled back towards his hut.

* * *

"Whoa, whoa!" Ro called out as she took a few hopping steps behind, the vizinho's tail swinging out and nearly striking where she had been standing a few seconds prior. Her hat had long since flown of her head, laying discarded a few meters away, and her golden mane was exposed to the hazy drizzle that dripped through the forest's tree canopy. Her axe was poised to batter back the smaller beast with the barbed tail to afford herself some much needed distance to wield her weapon effectively.

" _Shit_ , ain't he a little fire cracker," Sanosuke cackled as he lifted up a borrowed weapon, a beat-up old steel sword that Tae said she could care less if Sanosuke abused it. The fists of the massive patroller would be useless in this situation, given the chance that the unrecognizable species was potentially venomous, but he handled weapons with the same ease and expertise as his fists. He and Ro had been sent out on urgent orders from Aoshi himself, citing that he needed a duo that could neutralize and collect samples from an unknown species that had been terrorizing the loggers, and the two had trudged up the mountain at daybreak and spent half the day searching for the vizinho.

Ro watched as Sanosuke moved his body in a spiral, drawing the creature towards him as he allowed her an opening that exposed the vizinho's tender back that would be an easy point for Ro to strike accordingly. As Sanosuke tightened his stride, Ro watched as the lizard like creature's body formed into a serpentine 'S', she herself quickly determining where it would be easiest to dig her axe into with the intent of taking it out with one blow. She was unsure as to how the viniziho would react if she only was able to lodge a partial hit and she knew that it would leave Sanosuke in a terrible position to be in.

Gritting her teeth as her boots sank into the muddy ground, she swung her body around as she raised her axe up and decided that the flap of skin between the creature's shoulders was satisfactory as she brought her arms down, the axe silently cleaving through the air as it made heavy contact with the creature's back. She twisted her arms quickly as she dragged the pointed edge down the spine of the vizinho, her blue eyes narrowing as she could feel her axe violently rip apart tissue, muscles, and collide with delicate bird-like bones that snapped under the pressure she was applying on her weapon. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Sanosuke quickly sunk his sword into the base of the neck of the beast, aiming for a crucial artery that he knew would would bleed out quickly if her severing of important organs was not sufficient.

"Looks like you got 'im," Sanosuke grunted as he yanked the sword from the skin, holding it up to examine the orange-tinted blood that slithered down the base of the blade. His cut had been clean, effective, and he took a step back as he watched Ro release the axe from the vizinho's back, having dragged the weapon from the shoulder blades down to the base of its tail, and she exhaled loudly as she took a few steps away to avoid being in striking distance from the tail. The creature was flailing about, its appendages flopping about pathetically, and the blonde felt a bit of pity go out to it: it had wandered into Northern territory at some point and had made a nuisance of itself as it struck out and lashed at the loggers who had been busy chopping away at trees to give to the carpenters to rebuild the village. One of the loggers had been severely ill, the vizinho's wound festering and filling with angry puss, and Aoshi had been summoned by the temporary Central representative to get his patrollers to contain the situation.

"That was not fun," Ro said with a grimace as she inspected her weapon, now soiled with bits and chunks of fleshy organ meat, blood, cartilage, and other bodily substances that she was unsure she wanted to handle with her naked hands. Glancing down at the vizinho that had ceased seizing and thrashing about, she waited for Sanosuke to confirm it was dead as he stepped closer towards the beast's head. She reached into her sack and pulled out the bags that Genzai had given them to collect said samples in, the bags being made out of organ linings from livestock.

"Clear," Sanosuke muttered as he leaned back on his haunches, his cloak dragging in the mud. They were both soaked from the rain that had been much heavier and their calves ached from having to have climb the mountain in a muddy soup terrain that was immensely unstable and difficult to navigate. Ro tossed a few of the bags towards the male patroller, he himself busying himself with slicing the requisite claws, teeth, skin, and tongue. Ro herself slowly began working with the barbs on the tail, she herself also hacking off one of the vizinho's back claws, and a patch of plated skin that was tough to cut through even with her knife.

"Genzai isn't going to be happy with this," Ro grunted as she tied one of the bags and carefully laid it with the others in the small pile that they had made between the two of them.

"The old geezer has his work cut out for him, yeah," Sanosuke muttered. "Ain't my problem—besides the fact that we're the ones who have to be dealing with this shit, but we already have enough to fuckin' worry about with the Missy." Ro did not stop her neat cutting of the meaty flesh that she was attempting to extract from the vizinho in order to reach the valuable organs that the old man always asked them to bring—the liver and stomach being of immense interest—and she sighed as she picked through the layers of skin, wishing she had gloves to at least attempt to keep her hands unsoiled.

"Megumi's doing her best to try and communicate discreetly with her contacts in Central, but it's going to take time," Ro reminded him with a caustic voice. "Besides, she's busy with patients, we can barely get together to coordinate our next move. No one has been able to get access to the elders' chambers despite their attempts and their polite requests to their superiors. Sanosuke's conversation with Aoshi to try and convince him to at least collaborate had went mildly better; Aoshi had been diplomatically neutral as he grunted answers but Sanosuke knew his commander would attempt to help buy them time and to distract Tae as best as he could. The commander's anti-Loyalist approach to handling situations had been slowly working in favour of the patrollers as they were gradually receiving new weapons that were much more durable than their previous ones and Aoshi's pushing of certain individuals to funnel resources to patrollers had helped immensely.

"We've still got ten days before she has to have made contact with us," Ro added as she made a face as her fingers brushed against a particularly disgusting organ that was full of unidentifiable liquid and she nearly retched at the stench. "If not, you and I are going to have to go ahead—which will blow everything out of the water here. Aoshi won't be able to do much if two of his better patrollers just vanish off the face of the planet." Sanosuke was silent as he bagged up one of the creature's crimson red eyeballs and added it to their pile, he himself completely desensitized to the process of picking through body parts.

"Let's just hope the Missy gets to us with something," Sanosuke said in a gruff voice. "We ain't got a lot of time and if we make our way down there, it could be a fuckin' mess, too."

"Probably," Ro said in agreement. "But without any news, we all agreed that, that was what we had to do. Even if she gets a scrap of information, that will put us ahead of where we were before."

"When I see Kenshin again, I'm going to beat his ass," Sanosuke grunted as he pushed himself to his feet, the raindrops that had nested in his hair streaking down his face. He was tired, borderline exhausted, and it showed in the deep set dark circles around his eyes. Ro was in similar conditions: she had been tossing and turning at night, plagued by thoughts, nightmares, and demons that seemed to circle around her while she tried to lull herself to sleep. They had been pulling double shifts still, much to Tae's dismay at the lack of manpower, and they were coming home injured and beaten up from their forays into the mountain. Tereré was still barely scraping by, the village having nearly ground to a complete economic stop, and it was only the loggers, patrollers, and the forge that were more or less functioning.

"I'm sure you will," Ro said in agreement as she managed to gently tug the liver from the innards of the perished vizinho, her fingers sinking into the film covered skin that was slimy and unappetizing. She made a face as Sanosuke opened a bag for her for its safe deposit, he himself closing it and adding to their pile. Ro was still rooted firmly to the ground as her blonde hair was plastered to her face with the rain, her normally bright and exuberant sky blue eyes dulled as she stared over the corpse of the vizinho, her much smaller form curled up under the blanket of rain.

"You're worried." Sanosuke's observation was just an astute vocalization of what everyone in their tight group was feeling and Ro managed to nod her head. They had been up in the mountain the previous day looking for any traces of the light box that she and Ro had discovered all those months ago. Both patrollers suspected it would not longer be there and their suspicions had been confirmed, leading Ro's face to freeze into a permanent scowl. She had sat in front of the hole in the tree and glowered at it significantly before Sanosuke barked at her to keep it moving, that she was wasting precious time that they did not have to be sitting around feeling bad for themselves. Ro had swore up and down, she herself annoyed with the lack of movement in trying to figure out how to aid Kaoru as well as uncover more about Kenshin, but it was a mutual sentiment amongst the trio that had stayed behind in Tereré.

"Yeah, I _am_ —it would be like losing a sister," Ro finally admitted as she refused to meet his gaze, her bloodied hands running and streaking due to the rain hitting them and washing away the blood from the vizinho.

"You're not ready to go through that again," Sanosuke murmured, referencing the death of her husband those years prior. The combination of Ro's husband death and Kaoru's fathers disappearance were topics that he was plainly aware of but no one spoke about out of respect for the two women. Ro's husband had died tragically and had left a scar that had mangled a good part of her character prior to joining the patrolling division. It had only been when she and Kaoru had partnered together in their training and then their active duty that her genuine personality had begun to peek through her indifferent external armour and allow herself to emerge once more. The two women had bonded through their own decisions and losses, something Sanosuke had never experienced himself, and he had watched how they took everything in stride in unison. When Ro had been moved to the afternoon shift, it had devastated Kaoru and they barely saw each other—it was only Ro's arm-twisting and threats of revealing some of the nastier behaviour that she had been switched back to working with Kaoru. Sanosuke had always been under the impression that Ro feared death, just as Kaoru did, but valued it in a different way.

"No, I'm not," Ro breathed as she finally looked up at Sanosuke who was peering down at her. He had not bothered to pull up the hood of his cloak, content with letting the rain dribble down his neck. "But the further we dig ourselves into this hole, the more I'm convinced that we're going to all be facing tragedy once again—Kenshin obviously being a big catalyst to this, but also because we're standing up to Enishi and Central. If we all end up dead, it will be a miracle it's not for treason and at the end of a gun in a firing squad." Her dulled blue eyes narrowed as her mind wandered to the gunshots she had heard in the South when Enishi's men had swept through there, destroying and ripping apart everything, only to leave her village in ruins and her spirit shattered as she had abandoned what was already broken to flee to the North with her husband. Their future had been ripped away, they refused to content themselves with a simple life of farming, and had sought adventure. His adventure had ceased and she felt as though hers was on the same path.

"We've always been surrounded by death, Ro," Sanosuke pointed out not unkindly. "The moment you, the Missy, and I signed our contracts, it was a contract that only confirmed the writing on the wall. We ourselves are executers but our actions could have us executed. Death is our reality, as Northerners anyway—and you yourself have resigned to it as well." Sanosuke's words were factual and they reminded the blonde that she, too, had signed away her life in a pledge of loyalty to protect Central's interests, which were by Enishi's logic, humanity's shared interests in advancing and triumphing over the other side. As long as they brandished their weapons, they were confined to a wavering loyalty that put many things into question as they started to peel back the layers of terror that were the core of the blooming situation that they were aware was about to take them by storm.

"We need to get back."

"Alright," She said quietly as she lowered her gaze to the vizinho once more, a creature of what was supposedly their natural enemy. Southern customs dictated a much more cohesive relationship with those from the other plain, allowing a gentle coexistence that was atypical to the rest of the cardinal civilizations and their hardline approaches. Ro's family had been one of Sympathizers, some of the first to have been cut down by Enishi's men, and she had found herself hiding her own opinions and curiosity for the creatures that had once been welcomed into their village. Now she was still as unsure as to her feelings, despite her reservations about serving Central, as they still contradicted her actions and rendered her even more confused than before. "Okay."

* * *

Kaoru's arms stretched out as she felt the sun warm the light material of the airy blouse she was sporting, her hair warmed by the gentle kissing of the late morning sun. She, Misao, and Yahiko had opted to divide their tasks: Yahiko would snoop around the central area of the city, sweeping the markets and areas that seemed to favour commercial activity to see if he could pick up on any information or shrewdly enquire about a woman called Tomoe. Misao and Kaoru were tasked with the area around what looked to be the government area, open to the public as Central residents seemed to transit through the gardens and gathering of buildings freely, to see if they were able to pick up on any clues.

Megumi had warned them of the dangerous of edging too close to fire: she told them about the secret police dressed in civilian clothes that blended in with the civilians, the watchful military police that were stationed around the city, and the individuals who seemed to have little conflict with snitching out their neighbours and their movements. They had taken care to keep a low profile in the apartment, rarely speaking aloud about their business, speaking only when truly necessary and muffling their voices as best as they could. Even Misao's normally animated chatter had been fairly silenced as she went through the motions of brushing her hair and dressing herself: they all felt that bizarre tension that drummed beneath the idlic landscapes of romantic canals and ornate buildings and it was easily the first airs of fear that they were scenting.

"You must be enjoying this weather," Misao said as she watched as Kaoru ran her fingers through her shortened hair. She knew that the Northern woman was not used to such high concentrations of sunlight, her world constantly cloaked in a cloudy mantel that blocked out the natural warmth of the greatest star in the sky, and Misao found it shocking to believe that an entire cardinal civilization grew up in darkness and greyness. It was humbling to watch the older girl take her time, purposefully walking in the areas with the least shade, and it was a reminder that even such pleasures such as feeling the sun had been reduced to somewhat of a privilege for such few people.

"I am," Kaoru replied. "It's weird to think about it—we all live under the same sky but it looks different depending on from where you're looking at it."

"Mmmhmm, in the South we have the most spectacular sunsets," Misao whistled in agreement, the image of the bright sun dipping below the horizon, reds, yellows, and oranges bleeding across the sky in a colourful and uncensored choreography that changed from day to day, never repeating itself. The younger woman often took time to appreciate the sky when she was on the human plain, often trying to commit the image to her mind as she felt a strange inner peace settle over her.

Misao had found that Kaoru, despite still purposefully keeping her in the dark, was an amicable individual who demonstrated extreme loyalty and seemed to carry a thoughtful head upon fragile shoulders. Misao picked up on Kaoru's strong sense of purpose, seeing how despite moments of self doubt coloured Kaoru's personality, she seemed to want to complete her task at hand without faltering.

There was something impulsive and rash that overshadowed her normally friendly facade, a trait that Misao found curious, yet there was a mighty hint of autonomy that the woman displayed when she revealed her capacities as a patroller. Misao herself could handle smaller vizinhos if needed but for someone like Kaoru to take down much bigger threats in a selfless act to protect hundreds of civilians it required a much higher level of empathy and bravery than the younger woman could ever dream to muster.

"We need to get to the gardens," Kaoru muttered under her breath as they drew up to one of the larger canals where the streamlined boats were moving about, gliding over the crystal clear waters. She looked slightly baffled as to which boat to summon and where to even try and catch one: there were no docks in the immediate area and there were no ladders that dipped below to the canals to allow passengers to drop into a boat.

"Should we ask someone?"

"Maybe?" Kaoru looked over at Misao, shrugging as she ran a hand through her bobbed hair.

"But then we might attract too much attention to ourselves," Misao grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, deep in thought. "I don't suppose we could walk there, could we? There are lots of bridges that connect the islands from what we saw yesterday." Kaoru exhaled through her teeth, pursing her lips as she contemplated Misao's tentative suggestion, realizing that perhaps walking towards the gardens and government space might be a bit more reasonable as opposed to spending the little illegal currency they had squirrelled away.

"Let's try and find them on foot, if we move towards the centre of the Central… I'm sure we'll find what we need," Kaoru finally settled for as she was unsure as to how they would navigate through the streets in the attempts to search for the aforementioned gardens, but she had a fairly decent sense of direction and a stellar visual memory that would guide them back with few setbacks and little error. "Besides, the boats are expensive and Yahiko and I don't have that much money."

"Fair point," Misao agreed as she tightened the sash that was cinched at her waist. They were both dressed to try and resemble Central residents and they kept their voices to a low tone to avoid people hearing their very foreign accents. Misao's clothes fit her in haphazard ways as she had struggled to tie the sash properly and only after Kaoru's intervention had been able to get it to sit properly on her hip. They had been observing the other residents the previous day and had taken note as to some of their behaviour: the women would walk closely together, almost huddled together, and they kept their heads up as opposed to staring down at their feet.

They had been walking for nearly three quarters of an hour as they made their way through the winding streets that seemed to end at weird dead-end canals or that split off into three passage ways whose destinations were barely marked. Kaoru and Misao feigned rowing where they were going, rounding random corners with confidence as they had previously agreed to keep their backs to the Sun as they worked their way westward, knowing that Megumi's apartment was in the Eastern District Block. The pair of women crossed many bridges of many shapes and forms; there were bridges that were made of wood and separated them from the canal waters by mere centimetres and others that were made of stone and arched over the canals gracefully. They paced their way through mostly residential areas where children were playing about in the narrow streets, women were chatting or tending to their houses and their domestic affairs, barely sparing a glance at Kaoru and Misao.

It was only after crossing a wider bridge that they found themselves in a much more bustling district and they could hear much more activity on the canal that ran parallel to their path. They turned right at the next intersection, huddling together as they both took in their environment with diligent detail, and were immensely relieved to have found the grand canal where they had caught the boat the previous day. The area was wrought with families, workers, and visitors as they flocked to the waterway to move through Central over the serene waters that united the capital's islands.

"Is that it?" Misao muttered as she peered over Kaoru's head, straining her neck. Kaoru swivelled her head in the direction that Misao was looking and saw that there was an oasis like grouping of trees behind some of the lower buildings that lined the canal. The trees seemed to be contained by beautifully kept white pillars that reached upwards and were topped with various detailed figures that resembled hybrid creatures—an odd detail for the women—and were shaped to take the form of a perimeter that contained the tallest of trees that barely grazed the tops of the pillars.

"It might be a good place to start," Kaoru replied in a low voice as she gazed at Misao, meeting the younger woman's stare. "Let's go?" Misao nodded in agreement and they picked up their pace once again, drawing close to the edge of the grand canal as they moved along towards the next bridge that crossed the canal, which laid five hundred or so meters ahead of them. Their steps fell into sync, of no conscious effort from them, and they were taking in the sights of the area that they had transited through yesterday en route from the station. They had been rushed then, trying to find the correct boat, but now that they were less pressured to get to where they needed to be, both women found that this area of the city was absolutely stunning and immaculately maintained as the lush buildings saluted them and the waters bubbled pleasantly as the boats glided over them.

"It's hard to believe that this is the nexus of all evil," Misao grumbled to herself, Kaoru wincing inwardly at the word 'nexus', remembering Hiko's mention of the word. She agreed that it was almost tragically comic that Enishi existed in the same city that they were gracing and that the orders for the destruction of Tereré and all the other villages had originated from within the confines of this fairytale of a city. There was a certain romance to the waterways that soothed Kaoru—the thought of walking along the canals at night guided by mere gas lanterns that marked a lazy shadowed path was oddly ideal to her. The getting lost in the twisting and turning streets and suddenly running into a plaza or a small public garden, the history in the buildings that had surely bore witness to many successions, and the lore that they had been told yesterday made Central an intriguing destination for someone who had never ventured outside her village.

As they stepped onto the bridge and began to cross it, they found themselves stopping in the middle and approaching one of the rails, leaning over it as they took in the urbanscape from the high bridge and they sucked in their breath in wonder. From the bridge they could see a much clearer image of the city and how the waterways lazily snaked around, the boatsmen ruling over the element, the plants sipping from the crystal clear water—Central had become a city where life thrived and where life could be cut down. It was baffling to the two women as they took in the sights of the residents mulling about, the cafés that were full of individuals sipping at hot beverages despite the warmth of the sun, and the small shops that were bustling with clients. It neither resembled or shared any traits with their respective villages and it was an odd sensation to see where their resources and the riches of the North and South had been invested and used in their majority at the expense of the rest of the country.

"It's incredible," Kaoru whispered as a warm breeze whipped up on the water and rustled her dark tresses, the tips of her hair caressing her cheek like a lover's gentle fingers. "I had no idea…"

"… that this existed," Misao finished her sentence, leaning on the rail as she bent her upper body, pushing herself up with her arm strength. "It's almost surreal, you know? This looks like a kingdom of deities—it's clean and there's obviously life being pumped into this city by the water." Kaoru nodded quietly, as she sighed, her fingers trying to tame back the hair that got in her face as she felt a small smile curve onto her lips. Despite the evil that existed within the city, it was understandable as to why it had been called _La Serenisma_ : she had never experienced such fleeting warmth that gave her colour to her skin, redness to her cheeks, and clean air that whispered to her lungs.

"We should get moving," Kaoru said quietly as she tore her gaze away from the expanse of waterways and boats, slowing stepping back from the rail as she moved to continue her path towards the gardens that laid ahead. "We need to make sure we're going the right way." Misao moved away from the rail as well, her feet plopping on the stone bridge as she drew close to Kaoru and they slowly glided their way over the bridge, their heads held high as though they were balancing crowns of laurel leaves on their heads. Working their way over the expansive bridge, they let the wind tussle their hair, rustle their skirts, and lick their heels as they seamlessly blended in with the other residents of Central, trying to exude natural grace as they crossed the bridge and approached the other side.

As soon as they made contact with the cobblestones on the other side, they turned towards the wide avenue that seemed to be the artery of that area. They noticed immediately that the cobblestone gave way to impressive black and white mosaics, glorious patterns worked into the craft that seemed to form a lineal narrative as pedestrians moved along the avenue. There were mystical figures laid over the white tiles with their imposing black forms, shapes of humans that combated them, and impressive arches and swirls that painted a chaotic background. It was an absolute masterpiece as far as the two women were concerned and they found themselves peeking at it despite their best intentions to keep moving forward and to avoid giving away the fact that they were tourists.

As soon as the sidewalk ended, they looked to their right and found two massive pillars marking the entrance gate to the gardens they had spotted earlier and to their surprise, there were low buildings that were planted alongside the trees and swathes of bushes, flowers, and grasses that were impeccably cared for and maintained. Kaoru and Misao exchanged silent glances as they realized that people were entering and exiting between the pillars, they themselves not being hindered by any particular force that would stop them from doing the same.

"Shall we look?" Misao's voice was barely audible.

"Yeah," Kaoru replied in the same low tone, her eyes guarded as they drifted towards the pillars and glanced up at them quickly. The pillar on their right-hand side was that in the shape of a chimera like creature that bore little resemblance to any vizinho that they would have been familiar with: it was a feline shaped creature with large arching wings that were proudly spread open and cast a wide array of shadows on the body of the cat-like demon. On the other pillar was a similar creature with its wings firmly drawn to its sides, sculpted to be in a pose that was much less grandiose than his brother. Kaoru felt uneasy looking at the two sculptures that seemed to maintain guard over the gardens, unsure as to if they cruel creatures or noble ones.

"This place is huge," Misao spoke again as she shaded her eyes from the sun. "Should we split up and meet up in half an hour?"

"Do you know what we're looking for?" Kaoru asked in a low whisper. They had spoken the night before, Kaoru giving them a fairly detailed description of what Tomoe looked like based off what she remembered. They had also decided to keep their eyes open and ears alert for any other sorts of whispers of what may have happened, trying to see if they could pick up on anyone that would know anything. That was much more difficult, in Kaoru's opinion, as the chances of individuals openly speaking about anything related to Tereré or the train was highly improbable.

"Lady that sort of looks like you, dark hair, dark eyes, probably has a look of disgust on her face, right?" Kaoru gave Misao a sharp look but knew that the younger woman was clever and well trained to pick out information from even the strangest of places. "Let's meet here in about thirty minutes?" The suggestion was reasonable enough to Kaoru, who decided to comb the left side of the gardens as she immediately was greeted with an aching trellis that was covered in a blanket of beautiful ivy of various shapes of green. They shaded her as she walked under the tunnel of plants, her hands firmly rooted in front of her as she took purposeful steps and ignored the others that were walking through the tunnel in the opposite direction.

As she drew to the end of the tunnel, she found that she was arriving to a small plaza with another ornate marble fountain spewing the beautiful waters of the city and behind the fountain was an impressive white facade building that had an open concept and was supported by the very same style of pillars that ringed the garden. The pillars held up a checkered tiled roof as she drew closer, throwing caution to the wind as she walked as though she knew where she was going, and there were elegant light fixtures attached to the ceiling, their brass glowing in the warm sun. The building itself had large french door entrances that were closed and obscured views from the outside with thick white curtains and Kaoru had a sneaking suspicion that she was being watched by unseen eyes designated to guard the building, the openness and freedom to approach it merely controlled from the shadows.

She walked the the length of the building, her eyes occasionally gazing out over the garden, and she spotted what she assumed were government workers milling about in an area that was abundant with beautiful white lilies. They were both dressed in much smarter clothing, their garments maroon in colour and resembling robes, and their pants were slim fitting and dyed black. They were standing close to each other, engaging in conversation about goodness knew what, and they did not acknowledge Kaoru as she passed alongside them, maintaining a respectful distance. They were obviously used to civilians that meandered around the open gardens and could not be bothered to even look over at her. Kaoru was thankful for their non-intrusive behaviour as she inhaled deeply and diverted from the building, not finding anything of use there.

She followed a group of young women dressed in similar clothing to her, leaving a few meters of distance between them and herself, and trailed after their small party as they stopped and admired the beautiful clusters of pink carnations and snowball flowers whose heads were popping up from a massive sea of bushes. The women were cooing and giggling as they studied the flowers and remarked on them, moving from each grouping of blossoms to the next to study them. It was an odd sort of behaviour that Kaoru was not used to, but she continued to wander about as she tried to catch snatches of their language in the dominant language and found it to be dreadfully dull. Still, she thought, this was hardly the worst place to be at the moment and she savoured that such gardens were made available to the public. These were flowers that only grew in the temperate areas of the country and she had never seen half of them before, so it was a first time treat for her to be able to walk amongst a sea of flowers and plants that were foreign to her.

Crossing to another manicured footpath, she found herself approaching a smaller building that was also white in colour and ornately decorated with carvings into the facade, the shapes of wheat, flowers, and plants spiralling up the pillars that also supported the building's structure. Kaoru found a plaque that indicated that the building was an annex building for the Ministry of Agricultural Affairs and she knew that Misao would have probably lobbed a stone at the building given the chance, considering that this was the very Ministry that punished the South on an annual basis. She snorted as she moved away from the building, unsure as to if it would be of use to her or not.

As she rounded the corner of the building only to discover another building, she felt her neck hairs stand up sharply as she whirled around and spotted a figure that retreated behind a massive bush, obviously someone that had been tailing her. Kaoru's better judgement told her to stay attentive and to raise her guard even more as she crept through what was Enishi's territory and that if someone was pursuing her, she would be walking into a dangerous trap with little chance of salvation. She knew that she was playing a very dangerous game but was fairly certain that Enishi would not be so brash as to send his men in the daytime in the public to strike her down; Enishi was far too clever and calculating to do something so sloppily as far as Kaoru was aware.

Moving away slowly, Kaoru took a deep breath as she moved carefully towards another arching trellis of ivy and was relieved to see that there were other civilians passing underneath the looming structure, chatting amongst themselves as they went about their day. Kaoru moved quickly, but not enough to raise suspicion, as she wondered if she would be able to locate Misao if she were to make her way to the other side of the Ministries' gardens. She knew it would be difficult, as her half of the gardens left healthy distances between all the buildings, but she bit her lip as she did not wish to be ensnared in any traps that were set in the attempts to capture her. She knew that Enishi knew her face, that much was certain, and that he knew of her relationship with Kenshin. This was essentially reducing her to a moving target of interest for the country's unscrupulous leader despite her lack of information as to the whereabouts of the so-called 'Vestige.'.

"Excuse me," A voice spoke up and Kaoru started, pivoting around sharply on her foot as her skirts whirled around and she found herself looking down at a small child that was gazing up at her. She felt immediately ridiculous for having such a dramatic reaction to a mere child whose wide eyes were peering at her and she forced a crooked smile onto her lips as she answered with a tentative, "Yes?"

"Are you Kamiya Kaoru?" Kaoru's entire soul flared up in warning at the child knowing her name and she took a few steps backwards, preparing herself to flee if she decided that this ambush would go too far. The young girl looked around warily, she herself almost guarded, dropping her voice to a whisper that was barely audible over the roar in Kaoru's ears as her brain screamed at her to run away and quickly.

"Tomoe sent me," The girl whispered in a dead voice. "She wishes to speak with you in privacy."

"Tomoe?" Kaoru rasped as she felt her hands ball into fists, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she glowered down at the meek figure of the child, trying to work out if this was some sort of cruel joke or if Tomoe had truly picked up on her presence in Central.

"She knows you're here."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the month long lack of updates, work and travel have been keeping me busy and I was off getting to know other corners of Europe. :) This chapter is quite long, nearly 12.000 words, so I hope it makes up for it. Please don't forget to review, even if you're just saying hi! Reviews keep us motivated to write, knowing that people want to see how things unfold.

Just a few notes:

I've written a new short fic for Spirited Away! Please go have a read and give it some love. It's going to be a short thing, not longer than seven chapters, and it's drawing on a lot of history from the 20th century and translating the characters into a semi-parallel plot. It is quite fun to write if not a nice break from Vestige.

Additionally, in the works, I have been toying with my own original piece that I am hoping to start publishing soon. Please let me know if you'd be interested in reading it and once it's up and running, I'll leave the link.

Until next time!


	29. Chapter 29

Book III

Llanura

Plains

Chapter XXVIIII

Information

"May your journey overflow with new realizations and old fears."

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

* * *

Kaoru could only liken it to be seated before the devil himself, Tomoe's dark eyes void of any empathy for the younger woman as she folded an elegant sleeve of fabric into a much more comfortable position.

The young and timid girl, Tsubame, had quietly set some earthly pungent tea on the floor before the women before retreating away behind a ratty sliding door whose paper inserts were far from their elegant days. The clumsy girl had guided Kaoru through what looked to be a dingy back alleyway behind the grand buildings, dipping in and out of the shadows as they pattered over a rickety foot bridge that arched over a canal that was seemingly lacking the proper care they required to be maintained. Kaoru had not had time to contact Misao or even call out for help in the hopes of attracting the attention of the Southerner, her heart sinking heavily as she realized that she could easily be walking into a trap from which an escape would be difficult. Tsubame herded her hesitantly down an even narrower alleyway that had no natural light filtering down, guiding her to what looked to be a horribly decrepit shack in a poorer district of Central.

As Tsubame struggled to open the door, the blasted thing caught on its run-down runner, Kaoru felt her anxiety spike at knowing that she did not have to hunt down Tomoe as she and the others had previously calculated. The woman who had been outside the Long House all those months ago had taken the liberty of tracking down Kaoru, surely guided by and spurred on by whatever unseen hands and forces she was obviously connected with, and had cut the effort to null. Kaoru felt her gut tighten in reaction to the door finally giving way and opening, the warm sunlight filtering into the musky room that was lined with woven mats and discarded or broken tools.

Tomoe was sitting with her back planted firmly against the filthy and humidity stained far wall, she herself positioned in a corner so that nothing could sneak up on her from behind, and her gaze was distant as she did not bother to acknowledge Kaoru. She was dressed in what Kaoru could only be described as a stark contrast to the surroundings: Tomoe was wearing an elegant and refined blouse that was patterned with beautiful flowers and what looked to be song birds, the long fabric of the sleeves draping on the floor and pooling around her hands. Her skirt was also long and made of fabric and materials that only Northerners could dream of ever caressing, also long and flowing, and she was sitting upon a filthy floor in such impressive garments. The woman seemed to care very little to if she was sullying the fabric, something that Kaoru could imagine Megumi howling over in agony.

"Tsubame, please fetch the tea," Tomoe spoke, her eyes still looking at everything except Kaoru. Tsubame stuttered her response, bumbling about as she bumped into Kaoru nervously. She soon vanished from the entryway of the crumbling building, forcing Kaoru to cross the threshold as she took a wary step forward as the mats sank under her weight.

"Kamiya Kaoru," Tomoe said quietly, Kaoru freezing in her footsteps as she felt a warning signal crawl up her back in reaction to the coolness of Tomoe's voice. The first time that Kaoru had set eyes on the woman, in the company of Ro, she had known that there was something very other-worldly about her that did not quite sit properly with Kaoru. There was a lack of compassion behind the dark eyes, her pale skin doll-like and cold, and it had made the younger women nervous. Ro had also been fairly skittish around her, a rarity for the outgoing blonde, which was a signal to Kaoru that this seemingly feeble looking woman was much more dangerous than she let herself on to be.

"I see that you have made it to Central unscathed," Tomoe remarked. "It was foreseen that you would come out victorious but even then you seemed to be on the verge of proving fate wrong upon that train." Kaoru's brow furrowed as she immediately caught onto Tomoe's backhanded and subtle insult, nearly tempted to bite back with her own retort but deciding it was best to not lose the last threads of control.

"Tell me, was the vizinho something that proved to be a challenge?" Kaoru's frown deepened as Tomoe slowly gouged away at the younger woman's front of courage. She knew that Tomoe had more than likely been able to piece together whatever she had seen in her so-called visions and had probably heard snippets of what had occurred when the train pulled into Central's lavish station. There was a certain psychological fear that Tomoe seemed to enjoying playing upon as she reached for her tea and took a pensive sip, eyeing Kaoru over the rim of the cup with a look that could only be described as one of abject boredom and light disgust.

"We both know the answer to that," Kaoru replied slowly as she eased her way towards Tomoe but did not sit down on the floor. Her back was tensed, her shoulders haunched as she tried to assess the situation unfolding before her.

"I suppose that would have been the first time you've seen such a creature," Tomoe drawled as she cradled the tea between her two pale hands. Kaoru was silent as she felt her back touch the wall, the wood an unwelcoming texture against her shoulder blades. Her guard was raised and she was painfully aware of whatever would come from her lips in terms of responses, knowing that Tomoe had, had years to perfect the skilled art of manipulation and using words as a means of achieving her own private objectives.

"I can assure you that, that vizinho was of a rare variety that I'm sure your Doctor Genzai would have loved to examine for the biological knowledge that seems to keep the patrollers alive another day," Tomoe continued in her low tone as her fingers drummed lightly against the chipped ceramic of the teacup. "Serums, anti-venoms, antidotes, potions, balms, creams, medicine, weapons—each vizinho slaughtered by your people is thought to at least expand the knowledge of how to better protect humanity. How to penetrate the soft belly of a land dweller or how to pierce the muscles of a sky dwelling vizinho: these are all questions that are answered in part due to your labours on behalf of Central and the Delegations in Tereré.

"That vizinho that attacked the train and ultimately forced your hand is a unique creature in itself," Tomoe said, her tone sharpening enough for Kaoru to raise her chin in defiance and stare the older woman straight, awaiting what she was going to say.

" _Yes_ , yes it was," Kaoru agreed slowly.

"Do you know what that beast was?" Tomoe enquired, her fingers ceasing their movements against the cup. Kaoru shook her head grimly, unwilling to volunteer her theories or what she and Hiko had discussed between them in privacy. "Please allow me to enlighten you: it was not a singular creature but rather a marriage of the many souls that had been returned to the Earth and other side. Born from those who had been slain in the attempts to protect their lands and the forests, mountains, and rivers—that creature was seeking vengeance against humanity because all it knows is pain and suffering by our hands. The creature you brought down was the joining of hundreds or even thousands of vizinhos that had been unjustly executed by Central and its ever beloved patrollers."

"Revenge," Kaoru echoed in a deep voice as she found the word highly unpalatable upon her tongue.

"Of course," Tomoe probed as she gave Kaoru an impatient look that hinted at her displeasure at having her explanation simplified. "Fate, a cruel mistress as she is, was determined to test you, Kamiya Kaoru, as you are becoming a very active protagonist in this situation."

"To test me?" Kaoru's voice was controlled but her heart thumped heavily against her chest at Tomoe's words.

"You have been being tested since you were born," Tomoe said gravely as her dark eyes narrowed at the younger woman who was still leaning against her wall. "It has only come to my attention recently when the fates decided to let me know your name and took me North in search of you. It seems as though you have been cursed to serve a dire role in trying to curb humanity's greedy desire to overtake the other side."

"I… _what?"_ Kaoru's voice rose an octave as she blinked at the sudden flood of information that Tomoe was providing her out of the blue. She felt her knees go weak for a moment as she digested the mere thought that she was doomed to participate in this campaign that seemed to be gripping the nation between iron talons and slowly bleeding the life from the lands. "Excuse me?"

"Does the contact with the Vestige not seem odd to you? Why you were fated to cross paths with something that has only existed in legend and lore until recently?" Tomoe's gaze was stony and cold as she considered the woman before her with a critical eye that seemed to see much more than anyone would ever wish to know or be condemned to suffering. Kaoru could comprehend as to why Tomoe was sullen and withdrawn: her mind was a flurry of information, horrors, visions of the future, and a glimpse into the world that they occupied on a much more complex level. The woman had been resigned to peering into the hellish world and its cruel mechanics as humanity slugged forward and rose against the beasts that they had once cohabited the Earth with in relative peace.

"I figured that there was something tied to Kenshin, yes," Kaoru admitted warily as she wove her fingers together nervously. "It is hardly fair to write all of this off as mere coincidence."

"Of course," Tomoe agreed breezily. "He was woken from his slumber because of you. The very fundamental nexus that unites both plains had been stirred from the comforts of a much needed rest by a mere mortal."

"What slumber?"

"I suppose that you are unable to truly grasp the context of your role in this without the appropriate context," Tomoe sighed as she let the annoyance creep into her voice unabashedly, her sleeves dragging against the ratty floors. "Perhaps you should seat yourself and I can explain to you what the Vestige is and why he is the one force that drives my brother to insanity?"

"Your brother?" Kaoru repeated as she felt the world come to an abrupt halt as Tomoe lifted her head a bit more to stare Kaoru in the eye.

"Yes, my brother," She repeated sullenly.

" _You're Enishi's siste_ r?" Kaoru breathed as she felt as though the air was being pushed out of her body. She had known that Tomoe had, had some sorts of ties to the government and had assumed that it was a loose relationship perhaps from a past professional life within the layers of complex government bureaucracy. Kaoru would have never staked money on the fact that Tomoe was directly related to the very root of evil that was driving the country into the ground and stirring up the other side in his search for Kenshin.

Kaoru glanced down at the unoccupied space before her, her tea forgotten and abandoned, and she relented slowly as she pushed away from the wall and kneeled down before Tomoe. Bowing her head slightly as she felt the short ends of her hair brush against her cheeks in a gentle caress, she felt the lump in her chest expand and seize at the realization that she was going to perhaps get the answers she and the others had journeyed so far to obtain and even beyond that. Tomoe's summoning of her, as Kaoru realized, was more than likely knitted into the fabric that was woven by the hand of fate herself.

* * *

Yahiko was lingering near the edge of a canal, his loose linen garments billowing around his limbs as the warm breeze licked at him lazily, warming his skin as he felt the gentle warmth of the sun embrace him in the early hours of the afternoon.

He himself had become frustrated as he walked in seemingly never ending circles, his eyes scanning the crowds for anyone who may have taken notice to his wandering, but the citizens of Central seemed to be too preoccupied with their own private bubbles to cast even a sparing glance in his direction. He had been walking along the outer perimeter of the city, a mostly residential area with a few merchants scattered about, for a significant amount of time as he tried to hone in on anything that would have served as a clue or given some sort of lead.

 _Bookstores, libraries… maybe? I'm not sure if they exist here,_ Kaoru had suggested as her face scrunched up. _I'm not sure where to begin… to be honest. I guess we have to start somewhere, but…_

 _Are you trying to find information about… what was her name again? Tomo?_ Misao's enthused voice was too much for Yahiko in the morning and he had sent her a blistering look as he willed for her to calm her spirits at least until the sun was high in the sky.

 _Tomoe,_ Kaoru corrected as she tucked on her shoes, holding up her foot to inspect them with a careful eye. _Anything about her or the Vestige. If there's going to be information, it's going to be here in Central—at least Tomoe is. If we can even get some sort of idea as to where she may be, that would be a good start._

Yahiko had raised his eyebrow as he had watched how Kaoru had carefully danced around not using Kenshin's real name, always referring to him as 'The Vestige' or 'her friend' in Misao's presence. Kaoru and he had discussed at length in privacy away from the prying ears of an over zealous Misao that it would be best to keep from mentioning the name in front of Misao in order to protect at least some of the finer workings of their search for information pertaining to the man in Central. While they both knew that Misao was trustworthy and had proven to be so, Kaoru's reasonable argument had been that it was probably better to keep that thin veil of ignorance cast over the girl for her own safety so that she could at least deny knowing the Vestige's name if she were to become too deeply tangled and caught in Enishi's invisible web.

Yahiko's wanderings had proven a few facts that had disturbed him on a fundamental level: bookstores did indeed exist within Central and he saw small children dodging in and around their mothers legs as they eyed the offer of books on display. He himself knew that the schools had been shuttered in the vast majority of the country, he himself only having a basic reading level compared to someone of Kaoru's age, but it seemed that the children in Central had not been denied the privilege of knowledge and the skill to parse a book and enjoys its contents.

He had always been privy to the fact that those who lived in Central lived in another world that was unlike the humble existence that he was born into in the South: the buildings, the clothes, the stores, and the lack of scarcity were enough to convince him that Central was an artificially maintained oasis that existed within a country whose once proud existence was wilting away with every generation. It bothered Yahiko to know that the corn or the wheat he saw in the display cases were more than likely from the fields he had worked, he himself unable to legally savour the rich and buttery texture of an ear of corn.

After having scouted two promising bookstores and committing them to his memory, despite his initial frustrations with navigating the complex city, he had decided to take a quick break and had tucked himself away on one of the side canals that snaked its way through the buildings. Yahiko had sat on the edge of waterway, his legs dangling over the edge, as he took in the scene around him. In comparison to his tiny village in the South, Central was a mighty force to be reckoned with and he found the tall buildings to be unwelcoming and overwhelming as they loomed above his head. He was used to the low slung huts that his people inhabited, modest yet functional, and he found it horribly claustrophobic to be encased in what seemed to be a gilded cage. He was also deterred by the presence of the police in the street: as he wove his way though the maze-like streets and canals, he had kept a mental tally and was horrified to have racked up a count of thirty officers, their black uniforms stark contrasts against the soft colours of Central, and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he tried to slip by undetected.

 _This place sucks,_ He thought surly as he crossed his arms over his chest and cast his head upwards, eyes squinting as the sunlight blinded him.

He longed for the South once again—the North, despite being in the kind and hospitable hands of Megumi, Sanosuke, Ro, and even Kaoru, he found to be desolate and lonely. The lack of sunlight and the constant cloud cover had been enough to make him consider making his way back to the Southern warmth before Ro could convince him to be of help to Kaoru. The buildings, both the charred remains and those that had survived Enishi's onslaught, were in a generally poor state of being and the market was pitiful. His stomach had suffered from the starch heavy diet and he was horrified when Megumi had commented that green vegetables were hard to come by and were only available to those who had the means to pay for them. The people, as hardy and resilient as they were, had sullen and withdrawn faces that were a complete contrast to the much more amicable Southern personalities that were less intimidating to outsiders.

Despite having been orphaned at a fairly young age, he had been maintained by the village: Ro and her late husband had been his biggest supporters and it was often the blonde banging on his door and reminding him to wake up and get his behind out to the fields. She had also been the one to feed him, bring him that extra blanket or mend a mangled shirt, and the one to welcome him into her tiny family. Ro's parents, just as his, had been killed in the raids during Enishi's campaigns and he had always been left wondering how Ro could still wake up and face the day despite knowing that their village and their region had been absolutely destroyed by the government troops. He knew that Ro had enjoyed the presence of the vizinhos, he himself also partial to their benign presence, and was uttered confused when her third letter from the North revealed that she had joined the patroller brigades and decided to settle in the North.

Yahiko had always been more blunt than Ro, often lashing out or voicing his less than appetizing opinions in a harsh tone, but he had never been talked down to by the blonde woman. He had a fairly prickly personality when it came down to it, the circumstances of being labeled an orphan and having to make ends meet by whatever means necessary, but he had garnered enough skills to become autonomous and to survive. Misao, when she was around, was his only 'friend', and seemed to have that mysterious cheer that plagued Ro. He found himself often lazing behind Misao as they trampled through fields, allowing her to lead the conversation as she seemed contented to be in the presence of another human.

He was troubled by many things, he reasoned as he watched a sleek boat glide by him as it ferried passengers through the canals, but even he was unsure as to why he had answered Ro's call to action. His life, as miserable as it could be to have an empty stomach from time to time or to toll away in the fields, was much easier than what he was doing right now. In the South he felt secure and understood how things functioned: he learned to defend himself and others from vizinhos, often aiding the Southern patrollers unofficially and flying low on the Delegation's radar, and would stand guard when the patrollers were unable to make it to the hamlet where he resided. He knew he could wrangle a few extra rations from the old lady at the store by doing menial tasks, he knew he could wander the plains and fields of wheat and not be disturbed by another human, and he knew he could count his blessings that he had survived the campaigns despite his parents being Sympathizers.

Yahiko grunted as he brushed his hands together before rising to his feet, pivoting around as he shook his head in defeat as he tried to even fathom the brewing circumstances that he had volunteered to participate in—he himself unsure as to if those blessings for being alive had the potential to be shifted into a curse.

* * *

Megumi sighed as she folded the last bits of bandage and tucked them away into a discarded wicker basket that she had plucked from the rubbish and scrubbed to use in her make-shift space in the clinic. She had been working intensely through the last few weeks, dark rings under her eyes apparent, and she felt herself being stretched thin between running from the clinic to her family home to Ro's for impromptu meetings or any updates or leads. Her patience was wearing thinner and thinner as she turned to the sink and yanked on the faucet, opening the stream of water as she wetted her pale hands and let the water slip through her fingers.

Ro and Sanosuke had failed to track down the light box that Kaoru had touched all those months ago, not something surprising to the medical student, and they had looked fairly worn down themselves. Ro had thrown open her front door a bit more aggressively than normal as she gave Megumi a tired look before ushering her into her home and it was only then that they told her that they had been running back to back shifts with only a scant four or six hours to sleep. Ro's legs were sore and smarting, Sanosuke had a formidable scratch that ran up the length of his forearm, and both were sleep deprived and running on fumes it seemed. Megumi had offered to give them some medicinal powders to add to their teas to attempt to boost their energy, but Ro had waved it off tiredly as she sank down onto her sofa.

Megumi herself had been probing around lightly, the other medics a fairly decent source of gossip, and had been drawing just as many blanks as others. She had been trying to usher some of the older patients into her allocated space, hoping that dropping a few subtle hints might spark any sort of lead, but the head medic had delegated her to work with patrollers and workers from the forge who sported burns, blisters, and pulled muscles. She still engaged them in light conversation, her table side manners always professional, but only was able to draw the conclusion that Tereré was being forced to produce at higher quotas and with less people working the iron into weapons.

 _Of course,_ Sanosuke had retorted when she had provided that tidbit of information to the other two, _Enishi probably wants to fucking run us into the ground—but get something out of it. Fucking bastard._

Ro had given Sanosuke a weary look, her blue eyes distant, but had nodded in agreement with his words as she knew he was correct. Tereré blacksmiths were the best in the country and they were often given outrageous quotas to fill as they scrambled to produce the weaponry that was shipped to Central and the military. Megumi found it ridiculous to pressure the supposed best in the country to work at such a rate but she kept silent as she nodded in sympathy to the blacksmiths whose pains and woes seemed to make her mundane day a bit more interesting.

When Megumi had dared to enquire as to what they were being forced to produce at such speed, the blacksmith gave her an odd look before saying that he wasn't sure, as he was only handling a certain part of production. That had caught Megumi's attention, as they were experts in all stages of production, but she gave him a tight smile as she finished cleaning the skin around a nasty burn on his palm. The blacksmiths that had once fuelled the basic economy in Tereré had been many in numbers, nearly one hundred, but after the siege on the village, that number had dangerously dropped to around sixty two. It would take years for them to recover those numbers and she could tell that even the blacksmiths were becoming even more suspicious of Central and much more prone to spiteful comments amongst their kind.

 _God, this country had really gone to hell,_ Ro muttered as Megumi had been tasked with sorting through documents that Sanosuke had unearthed from Kaoru's possessions. They were sitting around in Ro's house, the two women lounging on the sofa amongst papers of handwritten notes and Sanosuke on the floor watching them intently, and they were pouring over the notes to see if there was anything significant written on the subject of the Vestige. It was a long shot for them, as Sanosuke explained that they had been Kaoru's field notes, and they seemed to be more oriented towards the flora and fauna of the forests as well as anatomical notes on the vizinhos. Kaoru had told them that they were free to look over them to see if there was anything useful, she herself unconvinced as she had previously scoured over her own notes to see if there was anything that stood out to her or not.

 _It always has been,_ Megumi said gravely.

 _I always wondered what it might be like outside of this place,_ Ro said grimly as she peered up from one of Kaoru's drawings of a vizinho's paw. _If other humans have to live this way, you know? Do they have better lives than us? Is there something worse?_

 _It's hard to say,_ Megumi settled for. _I imagine a bit of both._

 _There were folks that crossed the border in Capozano,_ Sanosuke said gruffly as his dark eyes were illuminated by the embers of the fire. _Never got to talk to them really, but they didn't look like us. They stopped coming when the campaigns started—don't blame them for that—but they were real different._ The trio fell silent as the fire crackled behind Sanosuke, the gravity of his statement enough to remind them that their country under Enishi had effectively cut the cord with the rest of the world as they looked inward and prided the nation on self reliance and a general mistrust of the outside world. Diplomacy was not something that had heard about or much less seen and they were all let dubious to if their country maintained at least some semblance of relations with other states.

 _Well, there's no point to think on it now,_ Megumi said with a stiff note of finality to her voice. _Or ever, really._

She sighed as she cut the water to the faucet, the memory still fresh in her head as she dried her hands on a ragged towel that was slung over the rusted metal bar that ran below the sink. Her white smock was just as tired as she was, noting the hems were fraying, and she rested her hands on the edge of the sink. Peering into the mirror that was crookedly hung above the pathetic sink, she stared into her own reflection and caught sight of someone just as wore as those who prowled the mountain and forest everyday. Her dark eyes were harsh in the dim light and her lips were pursed into a fine line, the hollows of her cheeks more apparent than before. Megumi had seen too much, a reminder of her origins as a Northerner privileged enough to be whisked away to the Capital because of her promise as a budding medical doctor, but even she needed a reminder that life here seemed to be much crueler than the plush life she was awarded in Central.

"Terrible," She muttered as she drew away from the sink and retreated from her space, flicking the light off as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

Kaoru sat back on her haunches as she felt the colour slip from her cheeks, pooling into a knot of dread in her gut as she swallowed deeply, her eyes wide at what Tomoe had just told her in terms of the lore and legend behind Kenshin and his existence. Her hands clutched at the fabric of her skirt, tightening on the material as she felt nothing but a massive vacuum of information sucking her into its clutches as the realization hit her hard.

"You seem… troubled," Tomoe remarked dryly as she inspected a piece of dust on her skirts and flicked it away carelessly. "Reality is a very cruel existence, Kamiya Kaoru, and you must be brought up to speed to understand your role in this era. Fate has deemed you worthy of such a cause and you must obey." Her dark eyes were emotionless and still as she observed Kaoru with passing disinterest as she seemed unaffected by the younger woman's reaction.

"What you've just told me… how much of it is true?" Kaoru managed to ask as she felt the words empty from her mouth, she unsure as to how much she wanted to acknowledge as the raw truth. "How can I believe you?"

"The truth is relative to that who wishes to validate it for themselves," Tomoe said solemnly. "I understand that Kenshin has suffered from memory loss and is unaware of his own existence within the great chain of this world. You are tasked with assisting him and humanity to restore balance—making decisions that perhaps test your loyalties to what you cherish. You must be prepared to act when summoned to the line of duty." Tomoe's words were far from unkind but they were flat and factual, leading Kaoru to contemplate if this was something clinical to the woman gifted with foresight.

"How much can I tell him?"

"That is your decision to make," Tomoe replied surly. "You will know when the time is right and will realize that this country and perhaps the world will be forced to collide with the other side because of my brother's foolish actions setting off a chain of events that has long since been prophesied since before we were born. You are responsible to ensure there is little deviation from what Fate has assigned us to succumb to as a race." Kaoru felt her head begin to spin at such cryptic language yet it did maintain some sense to her, she herself slowly seeing how the threads were connecting and leading her down a path that was slowly revealing itself to her piece by piece. Hindsight made it glaringly obvious but Kaoru saw little comfort in such insight, her teeth gnawing at her lip as she tried to muster the words to formulate the one question she wanted to ask Tomoe since the beginning.

"You wish to know where he is lying now?" Tomoe's voice was crisper and Kaoru felt her soul chill as Tomoe peered right through her.

"Yes," She replied slowly, her blue eyes wary.

"He is not within Central and he is closer than you think," Tomoe answered. "Perhaps you should invest and consider your relationship to the young woman who has joined your venture? She has known of his location since before departing the North." Tomoe's words forced Kaoru to jerk her head up at the mention of Misao and she felt her jaw drop in disbelief at Tomoe's alluding that Misao had known where Kenshin was all this time and had not bothered to mention it at all. She felt something tug angrily at her heart and something shifted within her as she rose to her feet.

"Before you leave, I will leave you with two pieces of information," Tomoe said abruptly as she forced Kaoru to fixate her attention on her once more. "You and I, Kamiya Kaoru, are destined to cross paths once more. Keep that in mind and be aware." Her eyes dropped to the floor as she studied her long since empty teacup before she inhaled lightly.

"Secondly, you are reckless as you are clever, but on that you will not get by alone," Tomoe continued as her voice softened slightly for the first time since the two women had been immersed in conversation. "Intuition is a wonderful thing but sometimes you must let yourself be guided by the circumstances and not act irrationally. This will be your obstacle that Fate herself will test you upon time after time. Sometimes you must preside over things you do not want to see or hear to be able to make the decision that best suits the needs of what you have set out to do. You must be selfless in this quest, Kamiya Kaoru, you cannot conserve selfish desires or we will all be castigated to a decision that will crucify humanity to a cruel and unfitting end."

"You support your brother," Kaoru blurted out, reacting to the last words.

"I support whatever Fate has decided is just punishment for humanity and our sins against nature herself," Tomoe replied evenly. "I cannot support my brother's crazed cause to advance humanity the way he desires that we move forward." Her dark eyes narrowed momentarily as she turned her head towards the door, the sound of footsteps approaching a signal that it was time to end their clandestine meeting and to release the now informed Kamiya Kaoru into the world.

"Go forth and find your friend, she will be in the gardens looking for you," Tomoe instructed icily.

"How am I supposed to find my way back?"

"You will find your way, I assure you," Tomoe answered as she, too, rose to her feet to meet Tsubame at the door. She gestured for Kaoru to go before her, the door sliding open noisily as the young girl peered into the room hesitantly, spotting the two women. She stepped to the side, allowing clear passage, as Kaoru emerged into the alleyway and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting. Tomoe lingered in the shadows a few paces back from the door, her hands folded within her sleeves as she regarded Kaoru with her dulled stare.

"It was a pleasure to finally speak to you, Kamiya Kaoru, and I look forward to our last meeting when the time arises," Tomoe said cooly as she looked at Tsubame who was standing placidly to the side. "Go forth and attempt to let the world guide you—open your mind to what may contradict your own instinctual behaviour." With that, she retreated back into the shadows as Tsubame gave Kaoru a curt nod before stepping into the ramshackle of a shack and closed the door behind them, leaving Kaoru alone in the alleyway as she found herself speechless and unable to even gather her bearings as she pushed herself away from the shack, desperate to get away from such a troubling place as she let her feet pull her in whatever direction they pleased.

She slunk through the alleyway, her eyes cast downwards as she kept her face hidden from the random residents of the area, her azure orbs stained with tears as she choked back the sobs that were trying to escape from her throat.

 _How cruel,_ she thought miserably as she rounded a corner, vanishing from the narrow street where the hut seemed to mock her retreating form.

* * *

A/N: Happy belated New Year! An update for you guys! :)

The next chapter will be the back story behind Kenshin and his origins, so look forward to it! We're steaming full speed ahead. Don't forget to leave a review and see you next time! :D


	30. Chapter 30

Book IV

Proiskhozhdeniye

Origin

Chapter XXX

Shinta

 _Let justice be done through humanity's fall from grace._

—

 _'Nothing but your will sets you on fire.'_

* * *

"Shinta, you shouldn't run off like that!" A gentle voice scolded from the entrance of the tiny hut that faced the bold and celestial coloured sea whose waves crashed against the pinkish-yellow sands of the beach. She was holding a basket in her arms, her own hair tied back high on her head as she gave the red headed child a half smile, unable to be irritated by the child for long. Wide violet eyes looked back at the woman, bright and inquisitive, as he stood up from where he was squatting on the beach as he raised an arm and waved to her vigorously.

"Sorry, Momma!" He called out as he let out a chorus of laughter, taking off at a break-neck run towards his mother who intercepted him with her free arm, rustling his red hair as she laughed along with him. He was dressed in a simple tunic, typical of their region on the sea, and it was covered in grains of fine sand and damp from him splashing around in the waves. He was a good child, if not energetic, and yet he always came back when she called him—much to his mother's relief—as he normally erupted into a wide smile. He was indeed a special child, his beautiful violet eyes seeming to hold wisdom that went beyond his mere six years of age.

"Come and help me sort these, will you?" She laughed as he hugged her legs protectively, burying his face into the soft cloth of her tunic. "It's time to go inside and start thinking about dinner." Shinta nodded brusquely into her leg, releasing the fabric as he looked up at the woman he called Mamma. She was hauntingly beautiful in an other-worldly sort of way: her long dark hair was always tied up in a neat yet simple ponytail that gave her a regal appearance against her pale skin. Her eyes were a bright violet, just like his, and they were softened like the stones that were bathed by the seawater every day. She was not imposingly tall but she carried herself with dignity as she kept her chin high and moved through the crowds when the ventured to the more populated village to pick up supplies or food rations.

His father had been absent all of his life, his mother once saying that he had been taken by the sea before he had been born, and he learned not to ask by the pained expression on her normally serene face. Shinta only knew a mother's love, an infinite and unconditional feeling of safety, as she held his hand as they strolled on the beaches or tousled his hair when he brought her something he found interesting. There was something comforting to her gentle humming or her crooning him to sleep in the dialects of the Eastern people, a musicality that was impossible to replicate if one came from outside the seaside Civilization.

Plopping down on the floor covered with worn down ornate hand woven mats, Shinta reached his hands into the basket and pulled out an assortment of plants that his mother had gathered earlier that day. He was proud to be able to sit with her and sort them by size and colour, even remembering some of the strange names of plants as he waited for his mother's final inspection and approval. His small hands ran lovingly over the large leaf of bush that they used for cooking and for medicinal purposes, admiring the smooth textures and grooves on the leaf's surface. Shinta set it aside with its brothers and sisters, reaching for the next plant as he busied himself with comparing them to the others he had already began to lay out.

"Momma, this one?" He asked as he held up a fern like leaf that resembled a feather of an elegant vizinho that fluttered over the waves, leaving behind the occasional gift of a multicoloured feather for him to collect. Shinta waved the leaf, its fingers bristling together and making a pleasant sound, until his mother turned and looked to study it.

" _Ah_ , yes, that's a new plant that I had never seen before," She said as she squatted in front of her son who continued to bounce the leaf up and down in his tiny hands. "What do you think?" Shinta bit his lip in thought as he tilted his head, closing his eyes as he lowered it to the ground and ran his right hand over the surface of the leaf, his mind clearing into darkness as he tried to imagine the shape, the colour, the consistency, and the size within the privacy of his own mind. The leaf giggled back at him, tickled by his tiny chubby fingers, and it whispered strange words to him that made little sense and he repeated them to his mother who nodded at each one. He could feel great joy in the leaf, a very happy and spirited individual, and its tiny voice amplified in his mind as it laughed at his concentration.

"It's… _happy_ ," He said as his eyes fluttered open. His right hand was warm, the strange markings on his palm tingling, but it was a pleasant feeling that passed quickly. He had learned that when he pressed down on a leaf or a tree that he could see and hear things that his mother could not and was immediately drawn to touching everything in within a four meter radius of the hut to see if he could make his hand do the 'thing' again. When he had asked if everyone could do such a wondrous thing, his mother had shook her head and told him that he was very special.

"It's a lovely plant," His mother remarked as she gave him a flicker of a smile. "Did it say anything else to you?"

"No?" His faced scrunched up in concentration as he tried to recall the leaf and its infantile giggling. "It was just really, _really_ happy." His mother's smile widened at his lacklustre description of the plant before she fished the leaf out of his hands and held it up to study. It was a beautifully shaped leaf, she herself having been impressed by it when she had been foraging earlier, and she was unsure as to what she could use it for as she contemplated it on the way home.

"Just like you, Shinta?" Her voice was soft and sweet, making him smile in return.

"Yeah," He answered proudly, his chin jutting outwards as the warm tingling in his right hand faded away into nothing. "I think I'm happier though!" He giggled, to which his mother tousled his hair in response before withdrawing her hand and stepping to the wash bucket where she had been washing and gutting fish for their dinner. Shinta always felt pained when she cleaned the creatures, swim bladders and blood made him quite ill, and he forced himself to eat meat knowing that she worked hard to get her hands on protein for them. He would try to tune out what he thought was crying and screams, his own eyes sealed shut as he would cover his delicate ears with his hands to block out the sound with little to no avail.

"Tell you what, can you get me some more water?" His mother asked as she reached for the tiny bucket she had crafted for him and held it out to Shinta. "We should have some sweet tea tonight, I think." Shinta's eyes lit up at the mention of the tea sweetened with honey and he accepted his bucket, making his way towards the door.

"Shinta! Don't go near the other houses, okay? Just get the water and come straight back," She warned as she gave him a stern look. Shinta bobbed his head, knowing the path that they tended to take to avoid the other villagers that, for some reason, cursed and spat at them when they had to venture close to the other dwellings. It made him horribly sad and he could not quite comprehend how so many people could be terrifically mean to his sweet mother who seemed to have nothing but infinite patience and a gentle soul that glowed a golden colour that he sometimes could see. He had heard them call her names like 'whore' and 'traitor', words that when he asked what they meant, were met with the response of: "Oh, Shinta, they're just not nice words to use."

Skipping down the sandy path that took him behind his and his mother's hut, Shinta hummed to himself as his feet covered ground quickly as he made his way towards the clean river that ran behind the village. His eyes took in the trees that lined the coast, tall and proud structures that spoke to him in booming voices and commanded his attention, and he promptly ignored their calls as he navigated the tricky sand of the hill, scrambling up its face as his bucket hit against his side. Cresting the hill and spotting the river through the trees, he scampered down the path quickly and clumsily, his red hair a differing contrast to the greens and browns of the forest.

"Hello, Mr. River! How are you?" He called out as he dropped down to the ground and began to dunk the bucket into the waters that saluted him and gurgled smugly, he himself giggling as he cleaned out the bucket from the last time it was used. The water swelled up to meet him, a gentle kiss of warm water brushing up against his arms, and he sighed happily as he allowed the water to speak to him candidly, praising him on how much bigger he looked since the last time he saw him. Shinta chided the water, saying it had only been a week, and the water lapped at his arm before he withdrew it from the slow currents of the river.

"Water for Momma please!" Shinta said in a amicable and childish voice as he dipped his hands into the river with the bucket, content to see that the river seemed to steer right into the confines of the bucket like a corralled animal. He waited until the bucket was full of the sweet drinking water before extracting it from the current, waving to the river as he shouted thanks and carefully hoisted the bucket into his arms, bracing himself against its weight. Grunting as he tottered from side to side momentarily, he straightened his back and began a much slower pace towards the hill that would lead him back down to their home.

As his chubby legs worked in a comically pathetic way, water sloshing within the bucket, he spotted the familiar thatched roof of the hut and grit his teeth as he readjusted his already precarious hold on the bucket. His arms were already sore from the heavier bucket but he inhaled as he slowly tried to pick his way down the mountain, only to come to a complete halt when he heard angry voices from the front of the house.

"We heard him talking to the river!" A heavy and gruff male voice protested, making Shinta retreat backwards a few hesitant steps. "He's an abomination! You damned Sympathizer whore of a woman!" Shinta could see his mother flinch momentarily, he himself peering at the exchange from the safety of the shadows behind the hut, and he remembered that his mother had told him to avoid these 'very bad men' because they could do 'very horrible things' to him if he was not cautious. He pressed himself flat against the back wall of the hut, holding his breath as he waited for his mother's response.

"He has not brought _any_ plight upon the village," His mother's voice replied in an even and reasonable tone. "He is a _child_ —he is incapable of hurting anyone."

"I don't care if he's a fucking child: he is not one of us! And you harbour him within your home! Damned woman, you should be stoned for your insolence," Another male voice chimed in, Shinta not recognizing its owner but knew it probably belonged to one of the villagers. "We see him talking to the trees! _Trees!_ That is not _natural!_ Central was right when they said that the Sympathizers would only bring plague and troubles!"

"What plague has a small child brought?" His mother asked firmly. "He already is isolated from the village and we do not venture there unless absolutely necessary. What more can you want from us?"

"Get rid of the damned brat, turn him loose like they did to the other one down the coast," The first man replied angrily as Shinta heard something wooden slam against the ground. "These damned children have been nothing but failures! He may not have a defect or be dead and buried, but I'll be _damned_ if he's allowed to stay in our village. You don't know what he will become as he grows."

" _Then damn you to hell_ ," His mother contested hotly as she braced herself against the doorway of their home. "He has done nothing wrong! If you recall, you all agreed to me being offered as a volunteer to see if we could protect humanity! Or am I wrong?" Her voice was rising in octaves and Shinta felt his breath hitch at such an angry tone from his normally placid and tranquil mother. It frightened him to hear such a harrowing tone to her voice, knowing how docile and sweet she was, and he wanted to do nothing more than burst forth and come to defend her from the 'very bad men'.

"We only agreed because your husband was dead by then and we had no one else so foolish as to pass their lives into the hands of such vile creatures," The first man's voice hissed in a serpentine manner. "Surely had he been living he would have objected to you offering your body to those from the other side!" The sound of a harsh slapping noise cut him off as his mother's hand made heavy contact with his ruddy cheek, her hand suspended in the air as her shoulders rose and fell from the adrenaline of having struck the man. Her tiny figure was truly dwarfed and she was red in the face as her growing ire finally was released.

"Do not speak of my husband like that, _how dare you,_ " She breathed angrily through grit teeth, the words whistling. "You know nothing! _Nothing!"_ Her hands balled into fists as she tightened her stance in the doorway, determined to fend off the intrusive villagers from the safe haven she had forged with her hands for her child.

"Foolish wretch," The second man growled as he moved forward, arms stretched out, and shoved Shinta's mother hard, knocking her to her knees. She glared upwards at them, making a move to rise to her feet before the thick soled boot connected with her gut in a horrifying blow. She doubled over in pain, the air knocked out of her small body, and her hands clutched at her stomach as Shinta closed his eyes and willed himself to not cry out and go running to his mother. Her breathing was ragged and her tunic soiled with the thick sandy caulk of the man's boot, reduced to nothing on the doorstep of their home.

"If you do not protect our interests than we will do it ourselves," He said harshly as he gave her a scathing look before turning his back on the fallen figure of Shinta's mother. "Humanity cannot afford to be compromised and he will be nothing but a curse upon our village."

"He's a _child,_ " She rasped as she regained enough of her breath to speak.

"Be him child or adult, it matters not to us," The first man said as he cradled the cheek that had been struck by her hand. "His existence is a bastardization of what humans are and he will only serve to cause us problems. Fix this before we have to do it ourselves." He, too, turned his back on the woman and took a few halting steps away from their home, now tainted by their actions, and he looked back momentarily before uttering, "What a pity that it has to be this way. You were not like this a few years ago." His gaze hardened as his shoulders slumped, but he looked away and muttered under his breath, the other man drawing up next to him as they lumbered towards the rest of the settlement.

Shinta had long since relaxed his grip on the bucket, his tiny hands barely holding onto the handle, but his attention was on his mother. He was in utter shock that someone would hurt someone much smaller and much less threatening than themselves, his ears still pounding from hearing how his mother's body hit the ground. His chest was expanding and contracting as he tried to control his breathing, not wanting to call attention himself in case the men decided to have a change of heart and return to their home. Shinta's eyes were blurred with the tears, the vibrant violet colour darkening as he mood shifted. He had never seen his mother raise her voice or speak in such a manner and it frightened him to his core: there was something that made him want to curl up next to her and cry, her warm embrace the sanctuary that it always had been. He did not want her to be hurt by 'the very bad men', he wanted for the two of them to be left alone.

After a few long minutes that dragged out longer than humanly possible, he emerged from behind the house after having wiped his tears as best as he could, trotting around to the front door. She was still sprawled on the ground but had managed to calm herself and right her face. There was a disturbed look to her eyes, one that Shinta himself picked up on immediately, and she did not look his way until he was practically standing in front of her.

"Momma?"

"Hey, baby boy," She replied slowly, her eyes blinking ghoulishly as she gave him a ghostly smile that did not touch her eyes. "Sorry, I fell over." Her voice was controlled and he felt his heart drop knowing that she was lying, his six year old brain picking up on that without any hesitation, and he gave her a baffled look. Shinta deposited the bucket onto the ground and went to his mother who accepted him into her arms without rising from the ground. Her hands rested on his small back as he tucked his face into her shoulder, her warm body still comforting to him as he tried to ignore her racing heartbeat that thumped angrily in his ears.

They sat that way for a few more minutes before he peeled himself away, her arms falling down as she pushed herself to her feet and gave him a fleeting smile before retreating into the house. Shinta stared at her shrinking back as she vanished into the shadowed interior of their home, he himself still shaken deeply by the men's words towards her and, indirectly, him.

* * *

"We should really cut your hair," She said as she turned to her fifteen year old son as she wiped her hands on the front of her greying and yellowed tunic. Shinta lifted his head from the basket of plants that he had been mindlessly sorting, his red hair hanging over his shoulders loosely in crimson cascades of unbridled waves. He was dressed in loose pants and a loose shirt that was way too big for him, but he insisted that it kept him cool in the warm coastal weather.

"Really?"

"Maybe," His mother replied as she gave him a bemused look. "Although it's such a beautiful colour it would be a real shame." Shinta gave her an amused chuckle as he plucked the last leaves from the basket and grouped them with their pairs, setting the basket aside. Rising to his feet, he was only a scant few inches taller than his mother at this age. He had grown significantly over the last nine years, his small boyish frame slowly coming into itself as his muscles formed and his stance straightened. They still lived in the same hut that was set apart from the others but it had been improved as Shinta learned how to fix certain things with his own hands and the few tools they owned.

"I could pull it back," Shinta said slowly as he reached for his hair and bunched it into his fist, pulling it to the nape of his neck.

"That doesn't look too bad," His mother replied as she tilted her head. "I have some scrapes of cloth you can use to hold it in place." Shinta nodded as he released his hair, letting it fall around his shoulders again.

"I have to go to the village again—we've run out of flour and salt," She said with a sigh as she ran her hands through her hair. "I should get a bit more so we don't have to go down there again for awhile."

"I'll go," Shinta said softly, he himself eager to stretch his legs and walk a bit. Despite the relative isolation of their home and their freedom to roam the beaches and the forest that flanked the coast in a green embrace, he often yearned for an excuse to travel a bit closer to the village. Curiosity plagued him from time to time, despite him being aware of the villagers' hostility towards him and his mother, but he rarely had contact with other individuals and even just the civil pleasantries of buying staples for their home was a welcomed break from the lonely ambiance of their home.

"Oh, don't worry about it, I can do it," His mother countered as she reached for the wicker basket she used for shopping, which was quickly fished out of her arms. "Shinta—"

"—It's too heavy if you're going to buy more than you normally do," He reasoned as he tucked the basket under his arm. "I don't mind, really." She gave him a critical look before relenting with a sigh of defeat, handing over the small pouch of coins that they had. They had a tiny trickle of income from her medicinal blends she sold to the village doctor, one of the few people who seemed to tolerate their presence, and while they lived frugally and were fairly self sufficient, they still needed to purchase things that they could not produce for themselves.

"Try to be back before sundown," She requested as she glanced out the singular window of their home. He turned his gaze to the window and calculated he had enough time to make his way down to the village and back without any hassles, and he gave her a departing nod. Stepping into his sandals that were a bit big for him, he opened the fragile door to their house and slipped out into the warm and balmy afternoon, the breeze whispering through his hair and singing a soft chant that made him swivel his head around to survey his surroundings.

Since that day his mother had been approached in their home about his bizarre interactions with nature, Shinta had ceased to speak to the river or the forest, only allowing himself the luxury to do so when they were in the privacy of their home. His mother brought freshly cut flowers that hummed sweet melodies that touched his heart, leaves that were orators, and plants that were troubadours testifying to their observations of the natural world. The great creatures that shared their lands would nod at him in acknowledgement, calling out to him—only to be ignored coldly by the red head incase there were unsavoury eyes watching him from a distance. They would cry out louder, threats or exclamations, but he concluded it was much more viable for him to continue under his veil, willing them to cease their shouting and to leave him in peace. The forest did not take kindly to that, protesting that he was them as well and shunning his kin was unacceptable in their invisible eyes.

Taking a loping gait down the beat up path that trailed down the coast before diverging into the village, Shinta kept his head bowed when he crossed paths with other villagers. Most times he was ignored or given an angry glare, other times someone would call out something disparaging about himself or his mother. Long gone were the days where Shinta did not understand the meaning of the word, 'whore', but the words that hurt most were 'traitor' and 'renegade'. They were harsh words that came from the villagers' mouths as they lowered his mother's standing in society to the lowest rungs on the ladder. There were words also aimed at him: 'monster', 'bastard', and 'half-breed' that lost their edge over time but still occasionally stung. Words that were flung at him with the intent of demeaning him, a constant reminder that he was not one of them. Shinta felt little regard towards the villagers, opting to try and live quietly with his mother whose aged face showed the stress lines each time insults were hurled at her.

Approaching the village's small market, he attracted more stares as his red hair stood out against the sea of dark haired individuals whose eyes trained upon him immediately. Moving discretely through the narrow passageway, Shinta made his rounds to the stalls as he silently fished out the coins and only uttered the quantities he wished to purchase. The merchants often tried to short change him, knowing he would not dare to say anything against them lest he provoke a scene in a busy area, and they would drop his change unceremoniously into his left hand. The packaging of the salt and flour was done carelessly, not seemingly preoccupied if the goods spilled about, and Shinta took to tucking them carefully away to avoid further losing any more than what they had paid for with his mother's hard earned money.

His shoulders would be knocked into by the bigger men, but he kept his head down as he tried to tune out their mutterings, moving from stall to stall as he sought out the better things to purchase if the merchant was willing to sell to him. Shinta knew that his mother had, had the same issues: one older merchant had even screamed that she refused to sell to someone whose betrayal to the village left her seething. He clung to the basket as he finished the last bit of shopping, the heavy salt that they favoured on the Eastern coast, and slowly made his way towards the path that would lead him back to their home.

Shinta's ears were buzzing with the annoying chatter of the winds and the trees that ringed the outer perimeter of the village, their squeaking and squawking permeating his brain as he tried desperately to silence it. They were anxious about something, he could scent it on the wind, and there was a heavy hint of despair as he drew closer and closer to the hut. The leaves were rustling nervously and even the waves were trying to speak to him, crashing urgently against the beach as he walked parallel to their sea. Shinta's pupils contracted at the cacophony that was making his gut wretch and spiking his own anxiety as something seemed off the closer he was to their hut. The wind cut at his cheeks angrily, screeching at him to the point it was too much for him to ignore and their misconstrued words spurred him to move faster as the sinking in his gut clued him into the ominous hue that the world was taking on as his feet pattered heavily against the sand that seemed to cling to him, desperately trying to hold him back.

He came to a crashing halt a mere few meters from his house, his scenes haywire as his head jerked up and a coppery smell invaded his nose. It was the same smell that made his insides churn when his mother cleaned fish: the smell of blood oozing from cut flesh, freshly subjected to the sharp edge of her knife as it sliced through delicate flesh to discard it away. The smell of tendons and ligaments cut away with the sharpened blade came to mind, the raw and sickening smell of slaughter something that still unsettled his stomach at the mere thought of it. It was a scent that he had come to learn how to tolerate as his mother had accepted he would not stomach eating flesh but still ate herself. Shinta had taken to leaving the hut or forcing a polite smile as she worked at the task, the unbearable scents provoking an unease sensation within him that was appealing to something much more feral and untamed than his normally calm exterior seemed to balk at in resistance to its encroaching tendrils that threatened to wrap around the last fragments of control.

His basket fell to the ground as he took determined steps forward, the products spilling over the sandy ground, yet he paid no heed to it. Reaching outwards, he flattened his palm as he shoved open the door and let out a wretched animalistic cry at the scene before him.

His mother's unmoving form was sprawled on the mats, her limbs twisted as though her arms had been broken in a cruel afterthought. The mats were stained a reddish-brown from the blood that spilled from the gashes on her legs, her neck, and her stomach—her clothes soiled and reeking of death mixed with that sickly cocktail of blood and tears as she had been abandoned, left to perish on the floor. Her hair was tangled, fanning out over her shoulders and face, the strands mixing with the blood on the floor and matting it to her body. Her skin was pale and lacked its usual rosy colour from being sunkissed after hanging the laundry or collecting plants and it looked to be greying. Her dark eyes were still open but they were expressionless and void of any reaction, her mouth open as though it were in mid-gasp.

Her tiny body seemed to be consumed by the prison of the hut where she had been slain, a cruel place to be left to bleed out alone knowing that eventually her last surviving blood would find her in such a way. The patterns on the floor clued him into the fact that she had struggled to drag herself towards the door but had failed, and Shinta assumed that whoever had decided to commit such an act of murder acted out and broke her arms to avoid her grasping to the last minimal chance of survival. Shinta could make out the bruising on her body, having been beaten by heartless fists, and there was a nasty blue-black bruise blossoming on her cheek that screamed signs of initial abuse before the situation escalated.

" _Mother,_ " He whispered harshly, knowing that the answer would be voiceless, as he closed in on her body and was unsure as if to move her or not. He sank down onto his knees, staining his pants in his own mother's blood, and he reached up with trembling fingers to brush away the few strands from her face, her skin cold and her soulless gaze making him shiver horribly. Shinta felt his mind blank as the dark spots crept into his vision, his world shifting dangerously as all the oppressed disdain for the villagers' behaviour and treatment towards his mother and himself came flooding through a gate that had been forced open by an unseen force that seemed to egg him onto the troubled side of his personality that he had taken great pains to cloak from his mother to avoid making her fret over him.

Too angry and enraged to cry, his eyes narrowed as he immediately knew who would have done such a treacherous thing to an innocent woman whose actions fifteen years prior came back to haunt her. Shinta slowly withdrew his hand from her body, but not before respectfully closing her eyes so that she did not have to even witness the change in his demeanour, and he sat back with his shoulder blades pressed painfully against the wall as he allowed the shadows to wash over his body, hiding his face from the world. The cries of the forest had simmered down but they were still present in his mind and he could make out images of branches and leaves twisting around each other, a silvery thread tightening as pressure was applied and forced it to stretch beyond its means. They were calling out to him in a chorus of voices whose words made little sense to human ears yet he could pick out their meaning as his own body stilled as every muscle tensed, his mind flurrying with hurried activity that overwhelmed him as the sounds that he tried to tune out from the other side struck up a chaotic orchestra within his mind and he was forced to listen to their pleads.

The last beads of sunlight that dripped through the window illuminated his mother's body but highlighted the fragility of humans: Shinta knew he was different since his mother's gentle explanations only spoke about how extraordinary he was and how he was a blessing and a gift from the gentle hands of the other side. He had been injured one day, his attempts at cutting wood to help his mother build up their stock for the cooler winters, when a slip of his hand had dropped the crudely made ax onto his barefoot and the blade had cut significantly into his foot. His mother had been hysterical when he had limped into the house, leaving a steady stream of blood in his wake, but she had gone silent as she cleaned his wound carefully and saw that the skin was already healing over and scabbing. By the next day, his wound had been fully healed and a thin line of a scar remained. In that moment he had become aware that his body was different from that of his mother, who had experienced her fair share of painful cuts that took days to heal over, and he realized that the human body was a fragile thing that was so easily broken compared to his own.

As Shinta sat amongst the shadows, his mother's body was a stark reminder but even he was left unsure as to if he himself would have been able to survive such a brutal attack.

Night slowly crawled across the sky, darkening the hut and allowing the pale moonlight to come in through the window, casting a ballet of shadows over the two still figures within the bowels of the hut. Shinta was vigilant, refusing to close his eyes to sleep, as he waited and watched his mother's body, unsure as to what he was supposed to do. Even the moon was calling out to him softly, a gentle feminine voice encouraging him to leave behind everything as the village held nothing for him, and to journey far away from the very people who had damned him and his mother to such a life. As tempting as the moon's words of offering were, Shinta refused to budge from his spot against the wall as peered through the darkness and stared at nothingness and everything at the same time.

It was only in the early hours when the sound of footsteps approaching that he dared to move, his pupils retracted into tiny pin pricks in dark violet eyes that had lost their humanity as he rose to his feet to meet those who dared to return. His hands were exposed, flat against his thighs, and his shoulders were shaking heavily as he willed himself to control the urge to lash out first—refusing to give into the beastly temptation to strike down those who had dared to take out the one individual who loved him and only showed him kindness in an environment that was staunchly against him. His soiled garments and haggard eyes would dissuade many from coming close, but the three men from the village kept walking closer and closer. Shinta caught flashes and glints of their blades in the rising sun, the metal not having been cleaned from the last time they had struck human flesh with the intention of killing. He was unwavering as he stood his ground as his eyes finally met those to whom he had bowed his head to try and hide, respecting his mother's wishes.

His right hand was tingling as though he were grasping fire between his fingers, the burning sensation slowing travelling up his hand as it heated the fires of ire that burned within him. Shinta felt something growing within his very core, his very essence, and while it was frightening to even contemplate whatever was brewing within him. It was as though the fire was enveloped in electricity, charging his muscles and limbs as it crawled towards his chest, and he felt an odd sense of invincibility that came with such an odd feeling. The forest was quaking behind him, the leaves rustling nervously as they picked up on the rage that was building up within the red haired teen, and the ocean had gone deathly still as it waited in anticipation to see what he was going to do.

"Fucking kid." He was greeted by the stockiest of the three men who spat into the sand, grinning to reveal a mouth missing a few teeth.

"Now your Momma can't help ya," said the shortest of the three, one of the two men that had originally approached his mother all those years ago.

"You knew it was a matter of time," The oldest of the three said, his grip on his blade adjusting as it clinked ominously against the metal catch it was resting upon. "You're a liability. A freak—you are not and _never_ were welcomed here, yet you stayed. This is the price that we settled on." Shinta's eyes flared at that statement, a heavy accusation that gave way to the idea that this had not been an arbitrary decision but one that had been carefully planned with time on the villagers' side. His sight narrowed as he saw red, something within him unleashing the last chains of restraint that caved way as they fell from the beast that roared angrily within him.

"Must feel like real shit, eh? Your momma dead because of you," The short man said with a grim look as he decided to play the game of imposing guilt upon the youth. "Should have left when you had a chance—we could have done something with her, I reckon." His words were provocative and Shinta had long lost the innocence of not understanding the more subtle reaches of human language as he knew exactly what they had been referring to with such disgusting rhetoric. Another tendril of control broke away from him as the words he had defected sunk into the very motor that was revving higher and higher, feeding mistrust and rage that spread painfully through his body at uncontrollable velocities that he had never experienced in his young life.

"No one was gonna touch her," The stocky one protested as he flicked his blade to bounce the rays of sunrise on the metal surface. "No one likes a used woman."

"It matters not to speak of the deceased," The oldest one said dismissively as he focused his tired gaze on the form of the red haired teen that was watching them with a hateful and spiteful look dominating his expression. "We took the decision that benefited the village. These are harsh times to be living in as humanity struggles to stumble forward. Sympathizers are to blame for this, of course, and your bothersome mother was no exception by bringing you into this world—nothing more than a curse to us. Nothing more than a waste, lowering herself to be tainted by those blasted creatures from the other side under a stupid guise to try and advance humanity. Stupidity was her dead, not our blades."

Shinta's brow twitched at the mere accusation that it was anything but the trio of men that slaughtered his mother while she was left defenceless and his hands balled into fists. His mind focused on the burning in his right hand and he could imagine the energy gathering into the palm of his hands, thorned vines creeping up into his mind's eye as he envisioned them wrapping around the bodies of the men and strangling them savagely, the pointed thorns digging into their flesh and making them suffer as his mother had as she bled out by herself on the musty floor of their hut. The warmth in his hand sparked even more at the images dancing behind his eyes and something was spurring him on to channel whatever electrical sensation he was feeling into his thoughts, letting it bloom like a flower poking out from the blood soaked earth that they all walked.

"You were never suppose to inhabit this earth with us," The elder man said solemnly as he released his blade from the catch at his hip, holding the blade up in an offensive stance. "As one of the elders tasked with protecting our village's interests, I must comply with the decisions made to ensure our survival."

"They let you live too long, brat," The stocky man spat as he held up his own blade aggressively, his foot digging into the earth. Shinta's eyes slid over to him as he watched him and the shorter man slowly close in on his unmoving frame, he himself allowing them to draw closer to him. The warmth in his hand was blazing as he finally felt his instincts kick in, instincts long since oppressed within him that were primal in nature and forced him to decide who lived in this moment and who perished. A heady trial that he had never once anticipated despite the warning signs surrounding him and he closed his eyes as the two men grew within striking distance.

Just as they were about to take the step that would have allowed their blades to slice and pierce through his young flesh, striking vital organs to attempt to bring him to his knees, the earth erupted around them as angry plants and their spiked thorns emerged from the confines of the earth. They wrapped their thick vines around the two men, halting them and dug into the vulnerable human flesh that quickly changed in colour as the thorns sank into their muscles and limbs. Their gasps and screeches as the vines refused to yield their hold on their bodies, only tightening more as they struggled viciously against the hold upon them, and Shinta could only hear the forest's cheers and the ocean's tentative calls of encouragement as a vast well of spiritual power rippled through the area, the Earth herself shuddering at the realization that the child had woken his slumbering powers in a fit of silent rage. The thorns shredded the limbs and the torsos of the men, their screeches turning into anguished snarls and screams before they were reduced to pathetic whimpering and then silence.

" _Beast,_ " The older man rasped as he watched as Shinta sank onto one knee, his body trembling fiercely from such an expenditure of energy and a body that was not used to such a strong form of magic that was swirling around within him. The old man took cautious steps towards the red headed teen, the now unrecognizable bodies of his fellow men slumping within the tangle of thorns and vines as their lifeless eyes stared at him accusingly, and he raised his blade with an air of uncertainty.

"You should have never been born, you have no place amongst us—you're not of man yet you're not of the others either," He spoke in controlled intervals as he glowered down at the teen whose angry violet glare challenged him despite his body betraying him, not allowing him to flee in the most crucial moment of this encounter. "Cursed since birth, consider this a parting favour."

The elder used the edge of the blade to draw a crooked line down Shinta's cheek, the edge cutting lightly into the flesh as a thin line was engraved onto his cheek. The youth was unmoving as he felt the cold steel bite into his flesh before it came to rest on the juncture of his clavicle and neck. His breathing was quieted as the cool metal quivered against him, the old man seemingly afraid of whatever may come, and his violet stare iced over as flickers of molten gold amber crept into his pupils—a stare that the elder had only seen in the vizinhos when he cared enough to look them in the eye. There was something primitive to the red head's stare, the eyes of a predator who had a cruel upper hand and he swore he was staring into the soul of the devil as his wrinkled and liver-spotted hands gripped the hilt of the blade, slowly driving it into the boy's neck before it was knocked from his hands in a bright angry flash of dazzling white light.

Shinta's body reacted violently as the light engulfed his form, warming him and prompting him to his feet as he watched the old man's blade disintegrate before the light washed over the elder's body, reducing it to fine dust as his wide eyed stare faded into nothingness. Shinta rose to his feet as the light died away quickly, thousands of shards of reflective light raining down upon him and the now-dead men whose bodies were finally released from the thorns as they, too, disintegrated and turned into nothing. The burning in his right hand was painful, the strange markings oozing a red puss like substance, and the sensation traveled up his arm as it scorched his flesh from within and made him wince in pain as he tried to comprehend what was happening and what he had done. The two corpses would be enough to implicate him and yet he could not abandon his mother's body—but with nowhere to go or to even transport her remains, he felt his soul ripped into two as he let out an agonizing bellow that originated from deep within his rage and frustration at the world.

Turning slowly to look at the hut that he knew he was being forced to be abandoned, his mind grew weary and fuzzy as the energy was sapped from his body. He took careful steps towards the structure, his feet sinking into the sand as he heard the ocean murmur to itself in awe and fear of him. Shinta's eyes slid over to the sea that had resumed letting the waves lap against the beach, the reflective glass surface catching the angry red and orange colours from the sun that seemed hesitant to peek fully over the horizon in his presence. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep but he knew he had to tend to his fallen mother before he allowed himself the opportunity to rest and formulate a plan to prolong his own safety. His body was buzzing with an unknown high as whatever burned his hand and arm refused to die down and he grunted as he turned back to the hut and slowly entered the structure that was now housing the tortured soul of a human life that had been unjustly taken from her.

" _Momma,_ " He said quietly, reverting back to the childish way he used to address her before he decided to refer to her as 'mother'. There was something in that singular word that coaxed a strangled whimper from him as the tears that had not fallen before welled up in his violet stare. He was mortified by everything that had happened around him and by the very destructive force that he himself had controlled as he was backed into a metaphorical corner. Shinta had wanted to live quietly with his mother on the coast, enjoying life and her company until the Earth reclaimed her, but that had been violently snatched away from him and had destabilized his entire world as he felt the misery and the loneliness rise up within him like a tidal wave and refused to recede.

Shinta felt his knees knock together as he realized that he had very little time before they would come for him again and he needed to ensure that his mother's soul passed onto the other side without further delay. Struggling as he ripped a sheet from the ratty cupboard, he lovingly draped it over her pale and lifeless body, unable to cast his gaze over the wounds that had taken her life as it slowly bled out over the floor. Covering her from head to toe, he reached for a few of the more decorative leaves and plants that they had gathered the previous morning and he carefully scattered them around her body, whispering and begging for forgiveness as his hands shook nervously and terribly from the task he was carrying out. He once more reached out to grasp her cold and frigid hand in his, squeezing it as he folded it within his much larger ones and pleaded for her to have a safe crossing to wherever her soul would be taken.

Stepping away without looking back at her body, to avoid falling in the temptation of curling up next to her and letting them massacre his own body that would try to heal in a last ditch attempt to conserve he cursed life, Shinta closed the door behind him and rested his back against it momentarily. Taking ragged breaths that racked his entire body, he clutched at the few things he had pilfered from their house before he pushed away from the hut.

Kneeling down by the tiny garden that they maintained to sustain themselves, he stared at the flint stones that he had used countless times to stoke and breath life into fires before he scraped them together. The sparks flew from the stones and he kept working at them persistently, only satisfied when a small flame flowered up in the beds of onions and potatoes that he had been tending to just a few days prior, and the flame bowed in grace as it spread its fingers through the garden and allowed its territory to grow. The garden was set alight as it burned and gave off a weird mixture of smells before the flames gracefully leapt to the wooden frame that made the base of the hut, climbing its way up the side quickly as the wood creaked and groaned, consumed by the red hot heat of the fire under the watchful gaze of the red head.

The angry shouts from far off brought him a cruel reminder that he had to make his own escape, but Shinta folded his pained hands together in a makeshift and rudimentary prayer to some unknown deity high above as he begged for his mother's soul to be pardoned for any trespasses. His eyes caught the fire, an almost malicious look to their violet hues, and he watched as the hut began to emit a black smoke. The sweet smell that invaded his nose confirmed his intentions as he felt another choked sob try to escape through his lips, but he steeled his nerves as he refused to let it come crying through the dawn-lit sky. The forest itself wept in his place, its trees seeming to sag sadly at the realization that the one human that had shown the boy born from careless experimentation of crossing both plains was to be left alone and to defend himself with no one to love him or hold him in the darkness of the night.

Shinta could hear the cries through the chaos and he turned his eyes to the forest, understanding that it offered to shelter him for the time being to allow his body to recover from this ordeal that he had never wanted to happen. His red hair was tangled and his body was filthy and tired, but he relented as he took hesitant steps away from the hut, a silent goodbye escaping his lips as he felt the forest's words wrap around his mind and coax him to its protective embrace. The sea called out sadly to him, its waters uneasy, but the forest staved off the ocean's insistence and waited patiently for the boy to crawl into its territory to close his eyes and allow his body teaming with magic from the other side the required rest it needed.

Slowly ambling through the forest as he heard the villagers' cries and shouts at the discovery of the two men riddled with bloody ribbons of flesh and muscle, Shinta tuned them out as he allowed his head to dial into the voices that he had long since ignored to protect himself and his mother. He allowed himself to become lost in the expanse of forest, the trees bending over to shelter him gently, his feet plodding over the ground littered with leaves, branches, and grasses that rubbed up against him in sorrow. He could feel hundreds of eyes watching him from the cover of the foliage and he knew that the creatures were watching him, a few cautious words flung his way as they acknowledged his presence and allowed him to cross their lands in recognition of who he was.

He wandered as far as his battered body could take him before he crawled up to the base of a large camphor tree and rested his back against the trunk. Shinta lifted his right arm and extended his hand upwards, staring at the impressive burns that spidered up his arm and reached his elbow. It was a network of red and puckered flesh that was blistering angrily on the topography of his skin and the weird markings he had, had since birth were fading to their normal colour. It was intensely painful and in the moment of respite he was permitted, he was forced into awareness of just how much it smarted and he groaned as he tried to close his fist but it hurt too much to do. Letting his arm fall to his side, he bowed his head forward as he closed his eyes and forced his body to go lax as the forest blanketed him in a protective cloak that fended off the curious eyes that had gathered to drink in the sight of him.

Shinta's departing thought before he slipped into complete darkness was that his mother's words of him being a blessing had slowly morphed into his existence being a curse; left alone full of regret for having gone to the market and guilt-heavy speculation that led to nowhere as he gave way and drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

A/N: Thus we begin the fourth 'book', the "Book of Origins" as to how Kenshin or 'Shinta' lived before he lost his memory the first time. This is only the first part, we will move to a secondary part in the next chapter which explores him as a young adult. This part of the story is going to be fairly heavy in terms of how things tie together, so thank you for staying with me thus far. :)

Until next time, don't forget to leave a review!


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